Catholic bishops say sorry for abuse

The bishops, who were meeting in Leeds, said there were "no excuses".

A joint statement presented by the Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols was issued on behalf of the bishops at the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and will go out to all parishes.

The statement described the crimes carried out by some priests and religious figures as a "profound scandal" and said: "They bring deep shame to the whole church. But shame is not enough. The abuse of children is a grievous sin against God.

"Therefore we focus not on shame but on our sorrow for these sins. They are the personal sins of only a very few. But we are bound together in the Body of Christ and, therefore, their sins touch us all.

"We express our heartfelt apology and deep sorrow to those who have suffered abuse, those who have felt ignored, disbelieved or betrayed. We ask their pardon, and the pardon of God for these terrible deeds done in our midst. There can be no excuses."

The statement said the church would work with safeguarding commissions within its dioceses to ensure relevant steps were taken to protect against any further abuse and atone for those who were already victims.

"In our dioceses we will continue to make every effort, working with our safeguarding commissions, to identify any further steps we can take," the statement said, "especially concerning the care of those who have suffered abuse, including anyone yet to come forward with their account of their painful and wounded past."

The statement also invited Catholics in England and Wales to hold special days of prayer on the four Fridays of next month for all those involved with the scandal, and added: "We commit ourselves afresh to the service of children, young people and the vulnerable in our communities."

On Wednesday the Pope made his first public remarks calling for change since the crisis erupted. During his weekly audience in St Peter's Square, Pope Benedict spoke of a statement earlier issued by the Vatican pledging the church would take action to confront the clerical sex abuse scandal.

The statement said the church would do everything in its power to bring justice to abusive priests and would implement "effective measures" to protect children.

The Pope has also accepted the resignation of Bishop James Moriarty, who admitted in December that he had not challenged the Dublin archdioceses' past practice of concealing child abuse complaints from police.

After reading out the statement in Leeds, Archbishop Nichols was asked why this apology was being made yesterday and not in a church. He said: "The media coverage of these events around the world has been intense especially since before Easter, since the beginning of Lent, over the last six weeks or so.

"This is the first residential meeting we've had, so this is the first time we've met as a group of bishops for the last six months.

"So it was imperative that we spent a lot of time reflecting together and coming to a common mind and taking a public position.

"This is the time of our meeting. This is the time we do this."

The archbishop confirmed the statement would be sent to all churches. He was speaking at a Press conference at Hinsley Hall, in Headingley, Leeds.