Pope Benedict apologised on Saturday for sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Australia, saying those responsible should be brought to justice.
"I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured," the pontiff said in a homily in Sydney.
"These misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation," he said. "Those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice."
The comments are believed to be the first time the pope has specifically apologised for sexual abuse by clergy and state clearly that abusers should be brought to justice.
The Pope confronted sexual abuse in the Church in the United States during a visit to Washington in April, meeting victims and vowing to keep paedophiles out of the priesthood.
But the Pope's words in Australia were stronger than those he used in the United States, where the biggest of the scandals broke in 2002 and where Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law resigned in disgrace that year.
Bishops in the United States and elsewhere were discovered to have moved clergy who had sexually abused minors from parish to parish instead of defrocking them or handing them to authorities.
In the United States alone, dioceses have paid more than $2 billion in settlements of suits with victims, forcing some dioceses to sell off properties and declare bankruptcy.
Victims want action
"Sorry is not enough. Victims want action, not just words," said victims' group Broken Rites after the papal apology.
"Justice is what is needed, the opportunity for victims to be able to bring their cases before the courts," said Broken Rites president Chris MacIsaac.
