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DUBLIN : Pope Benedict XVI faced mounting pressure Wednesday over worldwide child sex abuse allegations, as he vowed to write to Irish Catholics this week offering "healing and renewal" over the scandal.
Pope Benedict's pledge came as Cardinal Sean Brady, the Catholic Church's head in Ireland, apologised "with all my heart" for attending meetings in 1975 where child victims of a notorious paedophile priest were sworn to secrecy.
The pastoral letter will give the pontiff, who has described child abuse as a "grave sin", the chance to reassure the nearly 90 percent of Ireland's four million population who are Catholics over the scandal.
Pope Benedict was heckled in St Peter's Square shortly before announcing he would sign the open letter Friday to Ireland's Roman Catholics, saying he hoped it would "help in the process of repentance, healing and renewal."
As well as Ireland, other countries to be shaken by claims that the Roman Catholic church covered up child abuse by clergy include Brazil and Germany, where some two-thirds of dioceses are implicated.
This includes Munich and Freising where, as Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict was archbishop from 1977 to 1982.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke out on the issue Wednesday, saying child abuse was "a heinous crime" but one which had happened "in many areas of society".
Meanwhile Brady, facing calls from victims' groups to quit, said in a Saint Patrick's Day address in Armagh, Northern Ireland, he would be "reflecting carefully" in the coming weeks and asked worshippers to "pray for me".
He has previously insisted he would only resign if asked to by the pope.
"I want to say to anyone who has been hurt by any failure on my part that I apologise to you with all my heart," Brady added.
"I also apologise to all those who feel I have let them down. Looking back, I am ashamed that I have not always upheld the values that I profess and believe in."
Brady attended meetings in 1975 where two alleged victims of Father Brendan Smyth signed an oath of secrecy.
The church was investigating sex abuse complaints against Smyth, believed to have abused hundreds of children over four decades in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the US.
He was finally jailed in the 1990s and died in prison.
The religious order to which Smyth belonged also apologised to his victims and accepted "failures" over how it dealt with him Wednesday.
"On many occasions, over several decades, Father Smyth availed of psychiatric and other forms of treatment. None of these interventions had any effect," the Norbertine Community said in a statement.
"It is clear that the only effective means of dealing with a person of his propensity is through the rigour of criminal law."
It added that it had since made "restitution" to 42 of the priest's victims and given many others counselling and support.
But a group representing abuse victims said Brady should now quit over the Smyth affair.
"We cannot understand why he believes he should not now resign," Voice of the Faithful said.
"Unquestionably much suffering resulted, suffering which could have been prevented if churchmen like Cardinal Brady had acted differently."
Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland's deputy first minister, also said Brady should "consider his position" over the row.
McGuinness, a Catholic whose party, Sinn Fein, is also heavily Catholic, added: "Catholics throughout the island of Ireland want to see real leadership at this time."
- AFP /ls
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