Pope Says 'Repent,' But Critics Call for Action on Sex Abuse

April 15, 2010— -- Pope Benedict XVI told a coterie of priests Thursday that the church must "repent," alluding for the first time in a month to the sex scandal embroiling the Vatican and leading critics to charge that the pontiff still has not gone far enough to confront the scandal head on.

While celebrating mass inside the Vatican for members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, the pope said the church was "under attack from the world" and must "recognize what is wrong in our lives."

He did not specifically mention the abuse scandal.

"I must say, we Christians, even in recent times, have often avoided the word 'repent,' which seemed too tough," said Benedict, according to ANSA, the Italian news agency. "But now, under attack from the world, which has been telling us about our sins ... we realize that it's necessary to repent -- in other words, recognize what is wrong in our lives."

The pope has not addressed the scandal since last month, when he sent a letter to the Catholics of Ireland acknowledging a decades-long cover-up of child sex abuse by priests. In the weeks since the Irish scandal broke, the church has faced an onslaught of additional allegations from Germany and the United States.

The pope has been accused of covering up cases of abuse while serving as a cardinal and head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, more personal allegations that he has yet to address.

Instead, Vatican spokesmen have responded to the allegations by deflecting criticism away from the church, equating news reports with "gossip" and blaming the abuse of children on gay priests.