Pope breaks his silence over abuse scandal

He told his weekly public audience in St Peter's Square yesterday he had told victims of abuse during his recent trip to Malta that he "shared their suffering ... assuring them of church action."

On Sunday he met eight Maltese men who say they were abused by priests as children. The Vatican issued a statement saying the Pope had told the men during the private meeting the church would do everything in its power to bring justice to abusive priests and would implement "effective measures" to protect children.

His words yesterday were his first public comment on the scandal, although he called for repentance last week.

Neither the Pope nor the Vatican has elaborated on what action or measures are being considered. Various national bishops conferences have over the years implemented norms for handling cases of priests who abuse children, none more stringent than the zero-tolerance policy adopted by the United States.

Last week the Vatican for the first time issued guidelines telling bishops they should report cases of abusive priests to police where civil laws require it.

While the Vatican has insisted that was long its policy, it was never written explicitly and victims, lawyers, government-backed inquiries and grand juries have all accused the church of mounting a cover-up to keep clerical abuse secret and away from civil jurisdiction.