What do you think of the letter issued by the Pope?

I saw on the news this morning that the Pope issues a letter to the Irish people stating some changes in policy towards pedophiles in the church. He apologized for past wrongs and made some pretty strong statements, including that priests misdeeds will now require them to answer to civil authorities. He also outlined reasons why he thought the problem had grown so large, and the one I found most honest and true was this: “In his letter, Benedict spoke of “a well-intentioned but misguided tendency to avoid penal approaches to canonically irregular situations,...” (New York Times, 03/21/10)
There is lots of criticism because he still does not speak of penalties, but it seems to me that this is a beginning, rather than a sop.
Here’s a link, but there are many already. What do you think about this? Is it a step in the right direction or a cynical appeasement to the masses? Do you think that priests will now truly be held accountable? Will the screening process change in the selection of new priests? Is it in any way significant that he does not address the German church? What does this mean for the Catholic Church?