U.S. Catholics angered and demoralized by the priest sex abuse scandal say one man can help revitalize the Church with bold action: Pope Benedict.
The pope's trip to Washington and New York next week marks the first U.S. visit by a pontiff since a wave of sex abuse scandals began in 2002, provoking lawsuits that have forced dioceses to pay more than $2 billion in settlements.
Some advocates for the victims want the pope to apologize, others want him to permanently ban child molesters from the priesthood, or publicly identify them.
The Vatican has said Pope Benedict will discuss the scandal during his U.S. visit in an effort to heal wounds. Meetings with sex abuse victims are not on the pope's public schedule, but sometimes events are added at the last minute.
"In addition to apologizing, Pope Benedict and all our bishops should meet with survivors, listen to their stories, and treat them with respect and compassion," said Dan Bartley, president of Voice of the Faithful, a Boston-based group formed after the scandal erupted there.
Bartley called it "good news" that Benedict will address the issue, but the group wants more accountability and transparency from the Church.
The Church commissioned a study that found 10,667 people accused 4,392 priests of child sexual abuse from 1950 to 2002. Church leaders have said the study illustrates how serious they are about the problem, laying bare secrets while other institutions have not.
Moreover, it has changed its rules to more easily dismiss priests whenever there is a credible claim of abuse, said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
