Pope: Good
Priests More Important Than Many Priests
Press Conference Previews Themes of 5-Day Trip
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, APRIL 15, 2008 (Zenit.org).-
Benedict XVI says that it is hard for him to understand
how sexually abusive priests could have so betrayed
their mission, and promised that the Church will do
everything possible to ensure that such a situation
never happens again.
The Pope affirmed this today on the Alitalia Boeing 777,
"Shepherd One," that carried him to the United States
for an approximate 4 p.m. arrival at Andrews Air Force
Base.
Some 70 journalists were on board the flight.
"Really, it is a great suffering for the Church in the
United States and for the Church in general and for me
personally that this could happen," the Pontiff said.
"If I read the histories of these victims, it's
difficult for me to understand how it was possible that
priests betrayed in this way their mission to give
healing, to give the love of God to these children.
"We are deeply ashamed and will do all possible that
this cannot happen in the future."
The Holy Father affirmed that the Church must select
candidates for the priesthood who are healthy and
balanced. He said it is more important to have good
priests than to have many priests. "We will absolutely
exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry," the Pope
added.
The Pontiff responded for about 20 minutes to five
questions from the journalists. According to
L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's semiofficial daily,
the interchange gave an inside look into the themes the
Holy Father will discuss while in the United States.
Benedict XVI highlighted the eminently religious and
pastoral nature of his trip, and his hopes for his
meetings with U.S. Catholics and representatives of
Judaism and other religions, and with leaders from other
Christian confessions. He also mentioned his visit to
the United Nations, which will mark the 60th anniversary
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Finally, he analyzed the increasing number of Latin
American immigrants in the United States. He emphasized
that the Church's challenge is to accompany them with
pastoral solicitude, especially aware of the risk their
famililes run of being broken apart.
