THE Pope is set to make a historic apology to tens of thousands of Australians sexually and physically abused by Catholic priests when he visits Australia in July.Church sources say there is mounting expectation that Pope Benedict will use his trip to express his shame and regret over the church's abuse scandal -- and may also meet victims.
The likelihood of an apology increased yesterday when one of the Catholic Church's most senior figures, the bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, Michael Malone, gave his backing for a papal apology.
Bishop Malone said the Pope had set a precedent by apologising to American abuse victims on a recent tour of the US and "I would certainly be supportive" of an Australian apology.
It is believed the Vatican will consider the wording of any papal apology in the weeks leading up to Pope Benedict's arrival in Sydney on July 13 for the World Youth Day festivities.
Groups representing Australian victims of church abuse said a papal apology was long overdue.
"The scale of abuse in Australia has been far greater than in the US," said Dr Wayne Chamley, a spokesman for Broken Rites.
"There are tens of thousands of victims from Catholic-run institutions who were denied education. They were used as slaves. They were sexually and physically abused.
"We don't believe the Pope has been told the full story about the level of abuse here.
"The bishops have not briefed him. If the Catholic church was a private company these bishops wouldn't have a job."
A spokesman for the organisers of World Youth Day, which is expected to draw more than half a million Catholic pilgrims to Sydney in July, declined to speculate whether the Pope would issue a formal apology while in Australia.
Hundreds of Catholic clergy have been accused of abusing children in their care dating back to the 1950s, with the church rocked by repeated scandals and accusations of cover-ups by senior officials.
In the past decade the church has settled more than 1000 claims of abuse as part of its "Towards Healing" process.
It has also made several multi-million-dollar payouts in recent years, including $3.6 million to 24 men with intellectual disabilities who were abused in residential care.
Broken Rites has written to the Vatican's representative in Australia, the Most Reverend Giuseppe Lazzarotto, requesting a meeting between Pope Benedict and a small group of up to 30 abuse victims.
It has also asked the Vatican to investigate the involvement of Australian Church officials in the abuse scandal.
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