VATICAN CITY?Breaking his silence, Pope John Paul II denounced the “grave scandal” of priests implicated in sex abuse cases rocking the Roman Catholic Church, saying they had betrayed their vows and succumbed to evil.

In an annual pre-Easter message to priests released Thursday by the Vatican, the pope addressed the issue that has seriously embarrassed the church in the United States and elsewhere.

“We are profoundly afflicted by the sins of some of our brothers who have betrayed the grace of ordination,” John Paul said.

It was the first time the pope publicly addressed the issue since widespread accusations of sexual misconduct by priests surfaced in the United States in recent months. The accusations have led to the fall of one bishop, from Palm Beach, Fla., actions taken against dozens of priests, and the tarnishing of the reputation of Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston for failing to take action against a child molesting priest.