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Pope makes historic pardon request for Church sins
VATICAN CITY ,(Reuters) -- In one of the most significant acts of his papacy, Pope John Paul sought forgiveness on Sunday for the many past sins of his Church, including its treatment of people of other religions.
"We forgive and we ask for forgiveness," the Pope, wearing the purple vestments of Lenten mourning, said in the homily of a moving and unprecedented ceremony in St Peter's Basilica.
"We ask forgiveness for the divisions among Christians, for the use of violence that some Christians used in the service of the truth and for the behaviour of diffidence and hostility sometimes used towards followers of other religions," he said.
The phrase "violence in the service of truth" was an often- used reference to the treatment of heretics during the Inquisition, the Crusades, and forced conversions of native
"For the role that each one of us has had, with his behaviour, in these evils, contributing to a disfigurement of the face of the Church, we humbly ask forgiveness," he said.
Later during the mass held on the Catholic Church's "Day of Forgiveness" for the 2000 Holy Year, the Pope and his top aides were due to ask for forgiveness for specific sins against Jews, women, other Christians, and ethnic groups.
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The Pope has said often that Catholics should see the start of the millennium as an ideal opportunity to seek forgiveness for past sins, including those of the Church as a community.
He has called this a necessary "purification of memory" in order for the Church to move forward.
The Pope also said Christians were ready to forgive others for the abuse they suffered over the centuries.
It was the first time in the history of the Catholic Church that one of its leaders has sought such a sweeping forgiveness for its past sins.
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