In what many have taken to be a softening of his position on Church sponsored child abuse the Pope has called Christians to repentance according to Rachel Donadio reporting in the NY Times:

“I have to say that we Christians, even in recent times, have often avoided the word ‘repentance,’ which seems too harsh,” Benedict said at a Mass later broadcast on Vatican Radio.

“Now under the attacks of the world, which speaks to us of our sins, we see that the ability to repent is a grace, and we see how it is necessary to repent, that is, to recognize what is wrong in our life,” he added.

Which sounds just grand but really the people who need to repent are not the rank and file of the Catholic Church who have been browbeaten from infancy into unthinking obedience to the clergy with physical, psychological and spiritual abuse, Penance should start with the Pope and work its way down the hierarchy.

Penance should start with admission that the whole infallibility thing is an fine example of the sin of pride.