VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II on Tuesday urged the largest U.S. Catholic lay organization to keep supporting the U.S. Church at a "time of painful purification and great suffering," a reference to the scandals of sex abuse by priests.
The Catholic Church in the United States has been engulfed by sexual abuse accusations since the beginning of the year.
During his trip to Toronto, Canada, for World Youth Day last month, the pontiff revealed that he felt a "deep sense of sadness and shame" about the scandals, which revolve around priests who sexually abused young people and the alleged failure of bishops to properly deal with the cases.
Earlier this year, he had called such abuse a sin and a crime.
In his message to the Knights of Columbus lay organization, which is holding its annual meeting -- known as a "supreme convention" -- in Anaheim, California, John Paul did not directly mention the sex abuse scandal.
But, in an apparent reference, he said, "Conscious that this year's Supreme Convention is taking place at a time of painful purification and great suffering for the Church in the United States, I take this opportunity to echo the gratitude expressed by so many bishops and priests for the spiritual and personal support given to them" by the organization's members.
The pope has repeatedly called for support to the vast majority of priests who do good.
John Paul in his message urged intensified prayers "as the Church in America seeks to move forward with sincere faith and confidence in the Lord's sustaining grace."
The pope in April took the unprecedented step of summoning U.S. cardinals and other high prelates to the Vatican to map out strategy for dealing with the scandals.