Pope attacks paedophile priests

The pope has declared that he is profoundly hurt by Roman Catholic priests involved in paedophilia, "the most grievous form" of evil.

Commenting for the first time on the wave of paedophilia scandals in the Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II said the Church wanted to show its concern for the victims and aimed to "respond in truth and justice to each of these painful situations".

He spoke about the issue in one paragraph of his 22-page annual letter to priests and did not use the word paedophilia. But Vatican sources said the comments were a clear response to demands that he speak out.

"As priests we are personally and profoundly afflicted by the sins of some of our brothers who have betrayed the grace of ordination in succumbing even to the most grievous forms of the mystery of evil at work in the world," he said.

The Pope said the reputation of the Church and of innocent priests worldwide had been stained. "Grave scandal is caused, with the result that a dark shadow of suspicion is cast over all the fine priests who perform their ministry with honesty and integrity and often with heroic self-sacrifice," he said. Priests had to overcome human weakness by committing themselves more fully to the search for holiness.

Last year, the Pope relegated an apology to victims of sexual abuse by priests to one paragraph of a 120-page document.