Pope Benedict XVI lauded the Australian government Thursday for apologizing to the country's indigenous Aborigines for past injustices, saying it offered hope to all the world's disadvantaged peoples.
The remarks came in a short speech during the pope's first public appearance on a 10-day visit to Australia, at a ceremony to officially welcome him to the country led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Benedict said Australia's original inhabitants formed an essential part of the cultural landscape of Australia, then made reference to their plight since the first British convict settlers arrived 220 years ago.
"Thanks to the Australian government's courageous decision to acknowledge the injustices committed against the indigenous peoples in the past, concrete steps are now being taken to achieve reconciliation based on mutual respect," Benedict said.
"Rightly, you are seeking to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians regarding life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity," he said. "This example of reconciliation offers hope to peoples all over the world who long to see their rights affirmed and their contribution to society acknowledged and promoted."
Rudd in February formally apologized to Aborigines as one of his first official acts as prime minister, and has made closing the huge gap between indigenous people and other Australians a priority of his government.
Aborigines are an often marginalized minority of about 450,000 in a population of 21 million. They are the country's poorest group, with the highest rates of unemployment, illiteracy, incarceration and alcohol abuse, and a life expectancy 17 years shorter than other Australians.
Benedict emerged from three days of vacation Thursday to begin his first full day of events to celebrate the church's World Youth Day festival. He will receive a traditional Aboriginal ceremonial welcome later Thursday before touring Sydney harbor by boat and addressing a crowd of pilgrims estimated at more than 200,000 on the waterfront. He ends his functions with a tour through downtown in the popemobile.
