Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday recalled how on his trip to Malta last weekend he "shared the suffering," of several victims of sexual abuse by priests, DPA reported.
"I shared with them the suffering and with emotion I prayed with them assuring them of the Church's action," Benedict said.
The pontiff who was speaking at his weekly General Audience also lauded Malta for its stance against abortion and divorce - both are
illegal in the tiny Mediterranean island nation.
The Maltese represent a "community strengthen by a fervent and solid faith that after 2,000 years still remains true to the Gospel," Benedict said.
Malta has opted for an approach which is "neither easy nor taken for granted," one that "respects the life of the unborn and the sacredness of matrimony, choosing not to introduce abortion and divorce in the country's legal code," Benedict said.
In Malta, Benedict met with eight men who say they were molested by priests at local orphanage.
The previously unannounced private encounter took place after the pontiff had celebrated Sunday Mass before tens of thousands of faithful.
Some of the men said the pope wept when he heard their stories.
The pontiff has met victims of sexual abuse in past trips abroad - in the US and Australia in 2008 - but Sunday marked his first such encounter since the recent wave of abuse revelations hit the Vatican, including from Ireland, the US and Benedict's native Germany.
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