Pope John Paul II says sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests is a crime that has no place in the church. 

He also has offered an apology to victims and their families, expressing his profound sense of solidarity and concern. 

The pontiff made the remarks during Tuesday's closed-door meeting with U.S. cardinals and top Vatican officials in Rome. 

It was the pope's strongest statement to date on charges the U.S. Roman Catholic Church has sheltered priests involved in child sexual abuse by moving known pedophile clergy from parish to parish. 

The Roman Catholic Church leader last week summoned the U.S. cardinals to the Vatican for two days of meetings aimed at dealing with the crisis of confidence resulting from the sexual abuse cases. The cardinals also hope to establish uniform policies to deal with sexual abuse cases. 

U.S. church officials said before the meetings began that they will be seeking Vatican guidance on whether pedophile priests can stay in the ministry or if a zero tolerance rule should be applied. 

The church has had to pay millions of dollars in damages and faces more lawsuits. Dozens of priests have already been suspended or removed from their ministry. 

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

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