Pope: Easter is time of pardon and truth; makes no mention of abuse scandal in Easter message
By Frances Demilio, APSunday, April 4, 2010
Pope sees Easter as time of pardon and truth
VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has said Easter brings a message of pardon, goodness and truth to a suffering world but he has made no mention of the clergy abuse cover-up scandals that are buffeting him and his church.
The Urbi et Orbi Easter message is one of two major speeches the pope gives every year to the general public.
Applause rang out in St. Peter’s Square as Benedict concluded a Mass during which a senior cardinal praised him as a courageous leader and dismissed the allegations as petty gossip.
Benedict decried the suffering of Christians in Pakistan and elsewhere because of religious persecution. He also recalled the hardships of earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile and denounced violence emanatingfrom drug trafficking in Latin America.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI has said Easter brings a message of pardon, goodness and truth to a suffering world but he has made no mention of the clergy abuse cover-up scandals that are buffeting him and his church.
The Urbi et Orbi Easter message is one of two major speeches the pope gives every year to the general public.
Applause rang out in St. Peter’s Square as Benedict concluded a Mass during which a senior cardinal praised him as a courageous leader and dismissed the allegations as petty gossip.
Benedict decried the suffering of Christians in Pakistan and elsewhere because of religious persecution. He also recalled the hardships of earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile and denounced violence emanatingfrom drug trafficking in Latin America.
