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Pope Benedict has confronted the child abuse scandals which have rocked the Catholic Church in Ireland, telling victims he is truly sorry for their suffering.
In a letter being read at weekend Masses across the island, the pontiff admitted some bishops had made grave errors of judgment in dealing with paedophile priests.
But he stopped short of directly addressing well-documented cover-ups by senior clergy in recent decades, and at least one abuse survivor said the Pope's comments did not go far enough.
While intended for the Irish faithful, the letter - the first of its kind to tackle clerical child abuse - will also have meaning for other countries hit by revelations, including the pontiff's native Germany.
The pastoral note comes as head of the Catholic Church in Ireland Cardinal Sean Brady faces continued calls to step down over his handling of abuse allegations which saw victims sign confidentiality deals.
The Church has also been stunned this week by disclosures that two other accused Irish priests agreed to pay thousands of pounds in out-of-court settlements to their alleged victims.
Pope Benedict acknowledged there had in the past been "a misplaced concern for the reputation of the Church and the avoidance of scandal".
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He called for decisive action to restore people's respect and goodwill towards the Church in Ireland and urged clergy to keep co-operating with civil authorities in tackling child abuse.
"I can only share in the dismay and the sense of betrayal that so many of you have experienced on learning of these sinful and criminal acts and the way Church authorities in Ireland dealt with them," Pope Benedict told followers.
"Together with the immense harm done to victims, great damage has been done to the Church and to the public perception of the priesthood and religious life."
