POPE THANKS ABORIGINES
The pope also praised Australia for apologising for past injustices to Aborigines, saying it was a courageous move to repair race relations and offered hope to the rest of the world.
Rudd officially apologised to Aborigines in February.
Australia's 460,000 Aborigines make up about 2 percent of the country's 21 million population and have consistently higher rates of unemployment, substance abuse and domestic violence, as well as a life expectancy 17 years less than other Australians.
The pope thanked Aborigines for a traditional welcoming ceremony on Thursday, before he sailed up Sydney Harbour to greet World Youth Day pilgrims and, as is the tradition in Australia, acknowledged Aborigines are the first people of Australia.
"I am deeply moved to stand on your land, knowing the suffering and injustices it has borne, but aware too of the healing and hope that now at work...," he said.
The Catholic Church hopes World Youth Day, the brainchild of the late Pope John Paul II, will revitalise the world's young Catholics at a time when the cult of the individual and consumerism has become big distractions in their daily lives.
The pope said the "social world" also had scars, highlighting alcohol and drug abuse, violence and sexual degradation. He questioned how the media's portrayal of violence and sexual exploitation can be considered "entertainment".
He warned young pilgrims "do not be fooled by those who see you as just another consumer".
The pope has said he will apologise to Australian victims of sexual abuse in the church during his visit. Broken Rites, which represents abuse victims, has a list of 107 convictions for church abuse, but says there may be thousands more victims.
The pope confronted the issue of sexual abuse in the church during a visit to Washington in April, meeting victims and vowing to keep paedophiles out of the priesthood.
Some sex abuse victims plan to protest against the papal visit in Sydney, along with a group called "No Pope" which opposes church teachings on sex, marriage and abortion.
