'Church wounded by its sins'

It is still unclear whether the Pope will meet a group of Maltese men who were allegedly abused by priests as children, with a senior Vatican official insisting such meetings were not announced in advance.

The Vatican's press director, Fr Federico Lombardi, said: "If any such meeting is held the media will only be informed afterwards."

He was addressing journalists yesterday evening after Pope Benedict XVI returned to the Apostolic Nunciature at the end of the first day.

Earlier, on the papal flight from Rome, the Pope said the "Church was wounded by its sins", which was taken to be an indirect reference to the sex abuse allegations that have tainted the Catholic Church's credibility.

"The Pope spoke of the significance of a shipwreck as a good occasion for renewal. Similarly, he spoke of a Church wounded by its sins, which thanks to the love of God would purify itself, heal and move on," Fr Lombardi said, acknowledging it was the Pope's way of addressing the issue.