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	Vatican Calls on the Faithful for Mass Apology for Sex Scandals By John Hooper The Guardian January 7, 2008 http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2236323,00.html The Vatican has called on Catholics to atone for the sex abuse scandals that have engulfed their church in recent years by taking part in what may be the largest global prayer initiative ever seen. Cardinal Cláudio Hummes told the Vatican's official daily, L'Osservatore Romano, that every diocese in the world should name a priest to work full-time on the arrangements for the "perpetual adoration" of the eucharist. This would involve parishioners taking turns to keep a round-the-clock vigil in front of a consecrated host representing the body of Jesus. The initiative has all the hallmarks of the thinking of Pope Benedict, and would certainly not have been launched in this way without his full support. Hummes, the head of the Vatican ministry for the clergy, said a letter had gone to "dioceses, parishes, rectories, chapels, monasteries, convents and seminaries" calling on them to organise groups of "adorers". The aim was "to make amends before God for the evil that has been done and hail once more the dignity of the victims", who had suffered from the "moral and sexual conduct of a very small part of the clergy". He did not indicate how long he saw the adoration continuing. The pope has been accused of obstructing the investigation of sex abuse claims while head of another Vatican department. But he made it clear before his election that he would put the issue near the top of his agenda if chosen as pope. In 2006, he disciplined and publicly humiliated Marcial Maciel, the founder of the Legionnaires of Christ movement, who had been accused of sexual abuse. In the US, the Catholic church has agreed to pay victims more than $2bn (?1bn) since the crisis erupted in 2002. Though claims have begun to tail off in the US, they have surged elsewhere. One of Italy's best known priests, Rev Pietro Gelmini, the founder of a drug addiction centre, has been under investigation since last August. The latest initiative is in line with the pope's frequently expressed view that the church should concentrate on spiritual methods and practices rather than becoming a charitable NGO.
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