Papal trip challenges Catholics on abuse

The clergy sex abuse scandal had exhausted American Catholics.

After six years of painful revelations about guilty priests, apologies to victims, reforms and massive settlements, many hoped the issue could wither and fade into the background.

But Pope Benedict XVI's focus on the problem in his first papal visit to the U.S. _ seen most dramatically in his private meeting with victims _ showed that the spiritual leader of the world's 1 billion Roman Catholics believes his church still has healing to do.

There is already one tangible impact. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said dozens of new people have come forward in the last few …