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Darwin: Pope Benedict XVI began a pilgrimage in Australia on Sunday, saying he wants to use his visit to raise awareness about global warming and to address the crisis of clergy sexual abuse.
The pope said on Saturday he will apologise for a sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church in Australia, saying paedophilia was "incompatible" with being a priest.
His plane landed in the northern city of Darwin in the morning after a more than 20-hour flight from the Vatican. His plane was making a brief refuelling stop before flying to Sydney, where he will lead celebrations at the World Youth Day festival.
Benedict, 81, will spend three days resting at a retreat in Sydney before taking part in the festival, including a vigil service with thousands of young people and an outdoor Mass.
At the start of his US pilgrimage, Benedict had said he was "deeply ashamed" of the abuse scandal and pledged to work to make sure paedophiles do not become priests.
Benedict said that during the 10-day visit to Australia he would work for "healing and reconciliation with the victims" of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy there "just as I did in the United States" earlier this year.
Clergy abuse support groups in Australia have demanded that Benedict apologise during his visit for the abuse they suffered. The exact number of victims of clergy abuse in Australia is not known, though activists say they number in thousands.
Benedict acknowledged that the Church in the West was "in crisis" but insisted it was not in decline. "I am an optimist" about its future, he said.
Australia's senior Catholic leader, Cardinal George Pell has been accused of badly handling a sexual abuse claim and this week agreed to reopen investigations into the 25-year-old case.
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