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Pope Benedict XVI apologised for Irish priests' sexual abuse of children in a pastoral letter, but victims said it did not go far enough in addressing the growing scandal.

The letter, released on Saturday, came as long-running sex abuse was coming to light in several other countries, including the pope's native Germany.

"Like yourselves, I have been deeply disturbed by the information which has come to light regarding the abuse of children and vulnerable young people by members of the Church in Ireland, particularly by priests and religious.

"I can only share in the dismay and the sense of betrayal that so many of you have experienced," he added, in his letter to Irish Catholics, to be read in all Irish dioceses.

In his letter he also expressed "shame and remorse" for what had happened.

"You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured. Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated."

In what was the first pastoral letter to address the scandal, the pope said priests and religious workers guilty of child abuse should answer for their crimes "before properly constituted tribunals."

"Openly acknowledge your guilt, submit yourselves to the demands of justice, but do not despair of God's mercy," he said.

In the letter, signed on Friday, the pope harshly criticised the Irish episcopate in dealing with the allegations.

"You and your predecessors failed, at times grievously, to apply the long-established norms of canon law for the crime of child abuse," he wrote.

The pope, who met victims of abuse during trips to the United States and Australia in 2008, said he was ready to do so again.Facts: Main child abuse scandals faced by Catholic church

The pontiff told offenders they had "betrayed the trust that was placed in you by young and innocent people" and "forfeited the esteem of the people of Ireland and brought shame and dishonour upon your confreres.

"Together with the immense harm done to victims, great damage has been done to the Church and to the public perception of the priesthood and religious life," he added.

The pope also announced a mission to Irish dioceses affected by sex scandals that would include a review of their conduct.

But victims in Ireland said they deserved more after years of having been denied justice.Analysis:Hard line on paedophile priests was long in coming

"Victims were hoping for an acknowledgement of the scurrilous ways in which they have been treated as they attempted to bring their experiences of abuse to the attention of the Church authorities," said Maeve Lewis, director of the One in Four victims group.

John Kelly, of Survivors of Child Abuse, who was himself sexually abused as a boy in the Daingean Catholic care home, told AFP the letter left many questions unanswered.

"Is the pope now saying we will have a national inquiry into abuse in all the dioceses?" he asked.

"In short, the basic question is: are the victims likely to get justice as a result of what the pope has said?"

There was no immediate response from premier Brian Cowen's government, but the main opposition party condemned the "grotesque failure" by state and Church authorities to protect Ireland's children.

The party, Fine Gael, also called for school lands controlled by the Catholic Church to be handed back to the state.Related article: Irish church could be 'reborn' by Papal letter

In the United States, victims of abuse by priests also criticised the letter.

"The pope offers words when action is so desperately needed," the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said in a statement.

Abuse cases involving priests there that began to emerge in 2002 led the US Roman Catholic Church to reach multi-million-dollar compensation deals.

The head of the Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, voiced hope that the pope's letter would herald a "season of rebirth".

Speaking in Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, Brady -- who is facing questions himself over his role in allegedly covering up abuse -- said: "No one imagines that the present painful situation will be resolved quickly."

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, whose archdiocese has been the centre of many abuse allegations, also welcomed the letter as a "further step in the process of renewal and healing in the Catholic Church in Ireland".

Predominantly Catholic Ireland has been shocked by three judicial reports in the last five years revealing ill-treatment, abuse and cruelty by clerics and a cover-up of their activities by church authorities.

The latest revelations shook Ireland late last year.

Since the Irish cases emerged, abuse scandals have come to light in the pope's native Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland, among other countries.

The scandal has also inched closer to the pope.

The Munich and Freising diocese said recently that he, while archbishop there, approved in 1980 giving Church housing to a priest suspected of child sex abuse while he received "therapy."

AFP