Pope 'deeply ashamed' over paedophile priests scandal

Pope Benedict XVI said he was “deeply ashamed” of the clergy sex abuse scandal that has rocked the American church.

The Pope’s comments came before he was greeted by President George Bush at the start of his first papal trip to the US.

The pontiff was greeted with a presidential handshake and enthusiastic cheering as he stepped off the plane at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

For only the second time in history, the leader of the world’s Roman Catholics will hold talks with Mr Bush at the White House today.

The largest White House crowd of the Bush presidency, with up to 12,000 people watching the official arrival ceremony, is expected to hear the US and Holy See anthems played before a 21-gun salute sends the pontiff off in his bullet-proof popemobile down Pennsylvania Avenue amid an unprecedented security operation.

On board “Shepherd One” en route to the US, the Pope confronted the fact that the US church has paid out $2bn in abuse costs since 1950, most of that in the last six years.

“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,” he told reporters.

“It is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betray in this way their mission ... to these children.”

The Pope went on: “I am deeply ashamed, and we will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future.”

Benedict pledged that paedophiles would not be priests in the Catholic Church.

“We will absolutely exclude paedophiles from the sacred ministry,” he said.

“It is more important to have good priests than many priests. We will do everything possible to heal this wound.”

He added that paedophilia was “absolutely incompatible with the priesthood”.

The Pope described his pilgrimage as a journey to meet a “great people and a great church” and spoke about the American model of religious values within a system of separation of church and state.

The Pope’s presidential reception was the first time that Mr Bush has welcomed a foreign leader at the air force base and marks his fifth meeting with two successive popes, a record for any US president.

The Pope’s conservative social message will give Mr Bush a chance to reaffirm his opposition to abortion, gay marriage and stem-cell research, but the pontiff is unlikely to hide his views on Iraq, and his concern for the current situation there.

Asked about Iraq, White House press secretary Dana Perino said: “Obviously, there were differences years back.”

But she downplayed those and emphasised that there was a strong bond between Mr Bush and the Pope.

Benedict “will hear from the president that America and the world need to hear his message, that God is love, that human life is sacred, that we all must be guided by common moral law, and that we have responsibilities to care for our brothers and sisters in need, at home and across the world,” Ms Perino said.

Tonight will mark the first time the Bushes have put on a high-profile meal in honour of someone who is not even a guest.

A menu which celebrates the pontiff’s German heritage with Bavarian-style food will be put on for the Pope’s 81st birthday, but the Pope will be spending his evening with US bishops at a famed Washington basilica. Catholic leaders will attend the East Room dinner instead.

With around 64 million Catholics in America, the US is eagerly awaiting the visit and souvenirs, posters and other memorabilia have flooded the shops of both Washington and New York in recent weeks.

During his visit to the US, the pope will also give a speech at the United Nations on Friday, and hold Masses at the Nationals Park in Washington DC, St Patrick’s Cathedral in the heart of New York, and at Yankee Stadium.

On Sunday morning, he will kneel at Ground Zero, the site of the September 11 terror attacks, for a few moments of silent, private prayer, a spokesman for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops said.

The Pope will also light a candle, offer a prayer, and sprinkle the ground with holy water before more than 3,000 guests bid him farewell at John F Kennedy airport as he boards Shepherd One for his return flight later that night.