Pope 'Ashamed' by Priest Sex Abuse

Pope Benedict XVI said today he is "deeply ashamed" by the priest sex-abuse scandal that caused a crisis of faith in the US, and he vowed that the church "will absolutely exclude pedophiles" from the priesthood, the AP reports. "We will do whatever is possible so that this does not happen in the future," the Pope said in English on the plane flying him to the US.

"It is more important to have good priests than many priests," said the pontiff, who answered four questions submitted in advance and vetted by Vatican officials. "We will do everything possible to heal this wound." (More Catholic Church stories.)