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Pope Benedict XVI apologized on Saturday to victims of child sex abuse by Irish clergy, saying he felt "shame and remorse".
"You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry," he said in an unprecedented letter which addressed the abuse of minors in Ireland.
In the letter, the pope also announced a formal Vatican investigation of Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious orders affected by the scandal, according to Reuters. He said he was willing to meet victims to acknowledge their suffering personally.
The church is only beginning to come to terms with decades of child abuse in its parishes and schools. The scandals first emerged in Canada and Australia in the 1980s, followed by Ireland in the 1990s, the United States this decade and, in recent months, Benedict's German homeland.
PHOTO CAPTION
Pope Benedict XVI
Agencies
