Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to England and Scotland was preceded by predictions of failure and vociferous condemnations in the media about his handling of the sexual abuse crisis. And as was the case in his visits to the United States, Australia, Portugal and Malta, the pope firmly and repeatedly addressed the crisis in humble but unsparing terms.

It began on the flight to Scotland Sept. 16: “It is a great sadness,” the pope said, “a great sadness also that Church leadership was not sufficiently vigilant and sufficiently swift and decisive in taking the necessary measures. On account of this we are living a time of penance, humility, renewed sincerity….”

In his homily in the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood in Westminster, on Sept. 18, the pope introduced the theme of chastisement, a striking word that was relatively unnoticed by the secular media: The Church will be renewed, he said, by the “shame and humiliation” and the “chastisement” faced as a result of the sins of sexual abuse by clergy.  “I express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these unspeakable crimes,” he declared. He prayed for their healing, and he told them that he acknowledged, “the shame and humiliation which all of us have suffered because of these sins; and I invite you to offer it to the Lord with trust that this chastisement will contribute to the healing of the victims, the purification of the Church and the renewal of her age-old commitment to the education and care of young people.”

As in other countries, the pope met with some victims of clergy sexual abuse and promised them that the Church will not only work to protect young people more effectively in the future, but also do “all in its power to investigate allegations, to collaborate with civil authorities and to bring to justice clergy and religious accused of these egregious crimes.”

In an unprecedented meeting, the pope met with those staff and volunteers responsible for child protection in the Church. He praised their efforts on behalf of the Church to protect children and “reinforce an atmosphere of trust.”

On Sept. 19, the pope addressed his brother bishops about the “devastating effects” of the clergy sexual abuse the “deep wounds” it has caused, both in the rupture of trust between the victims and the Church, but also between the priests and their people, and between priests and their bishops. He applauded their efforts “to deal properly and transparently with allegations as they arise.” And he encouraged them to help the larger society deal with the epidemic of abuse it continues to endure:

Your growing awareness of the extent of child abuse in society, its devastating effects, and the need to provide proper victim support should serve as an incentive to share the lessons you have learned with the wider community. Indeed, what better way could there be of making reparation for these sins than by reaching out, in a humble spirit of compassion, towards children who continue to suffer abuse elsewhere? Our duty of care towards the young demands nothing less.

Despite his critics, the pope once again forthrightly addressed the issue of clergy sexual abuse, emphasizing both the importance of the reforms undertaken and stressing the opportunity for further renewal of the Church as well.