Pope says church will better protect young

Pope Benedict XVI, on the second and last day of his trip to Malta, met with eight men who say they were sexually abused by priests when they were children.

Sunday's meeting, in the Vatican's embassy in Valletta, marked the first time the Pope has held such a meeting since the abuse scandal engulfed the Roman Catholic Church earlier this year.

Benedict met with abuse victims in the United States and Australia in 2008.

The Pope and the men he met in the Maltese capital — who are in their 30s and 40s — prayed together for a few minutes and the pontiff told them the Catholic Church would seek justice for pedophile priests and implement "effective measures" to protect young people from abuse, the Vatican and victims said.

The Pope expressed his "shame and sorrow" at the pain the men and their families suffered, the Vatican said in a statement.

The Vatican offered no further details of what measures would be implemented to safeguard children.

Lawrence Grech, who led efforts to arrange the encounter, said the Pope told each of the men: "I am very proud of you for having come forward to tell your story."

Earlier, Archbishop Paul Cremona, the local head of the church on the small but strongly Catholic island, made a challenging statement to the Pope as the pontiff celebrated mass.

The church must recognize the sins and failures of its members, the archbishop said.