An influential cardinal opened a Vatican symposium on the priesthood Thursday apologising for "unworthy ministers" and the cover-up of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, before an audience that included Pope Francis. Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet acknowledged that "we are all torn and humbled by these crucial questions that every day question us as members of the Church", with Francis at his side in the Vatican's vast Paul VI Hall. "Should we not rather refrain from talking about the priesthood when the sins and crimes of unworthy ministers are on the front pages of the international press for betraying their commitment or for shamefully covering up?" A string of recent investigations exposing paedophile priests have been front page news in recent months, exposing the scale of the problem and the decades-long Church cover-up. Ouellet is a prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, one of the most important functions within the Curia, the government of the Vatican. He said the symposium was an opportunity to express regret and ask victims for forgiveness after their lives were "destroyed by abusive and criminal behaviour" hidden or treated lightly to protect the institution...