By Dario Thuburn
AFP
November 8, 2010
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j1LgS4jGR6L17E7ZPrYLM_wN_QNQ?docId=CNG.874e0b847bb467b61f3ece0d14fd1a57.161
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| Pope Benedict XVI has apologised for the abuses |
Pope Benedict XVI has invited all the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church for unprecedented talks next week on cases of sexual abuse by clergy -- a move greeted with scepticism by activists.
"The pope has invited the members of the college of cardinals... to a day of reflection and prayer," the Vatican said in a statement on Monday.
"The Church's response to sexual abuse cases" will be one of the themes of the meeting in the Vatican, formally known as a consistory, it added.
The talks on November 19 come as Benedict grapples with the Church's most profound crisis in years, following thousands of abuse scandals across Europe and the United States and accusations of a cover-up by senior clergy.
The abuse discussion will be led by US cardinal William Joseph Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the body in charge of Church dogma that was presided for more than 20 years by the current pope.
Levada, a former archbishop of San Francisco, is seen as a conservative stalwart and has been criticised in the United States by victims of sex abuse by priests of covering up Church crimes instead of exposing them.
Barbara Blaine, head of the US-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), reacted cautiously to the Vatican announcement.
"We'll only know if this is a good development when we see action resulting from this meeting. To be swayed by mere talk is to betray vulnerable children and wounded adults," Blaine said in a statement.
"It takes decisive action to oust predator priests and complicit bishops. And when it comes to abuse, this Pope, like his predecessors, has shown little commitment to real action," she added.
The consistory is set to bring together the Church's 203 cardinals, including 24 newly-appointed ones. Cardinals hold key power in the Catholic Church because they are the ones who elect new popes.
Consistory meetings are usually held behind closed doors and allow the pope to consult with the cardinals on key aspects of Vatican policy.
Benedict's predecessor John Paul II summoned all the American cardinals to the Vatican in 2002 amid widespread outrage following revelations that abuse by clergy in the United States had been hushed up.
Benedict has apologised for the abuses, tightened Church rules on abuse and met victims during visits to Australia, Britain, Malta and the United States.
The pope also held talks with the bishops of Ireland earlier this year after the publication of a report detailing hundreds of cases of abuse.
But anti-abuse groups say these moves are not enough.
At a rally by dozens of abuse victims and their families outside the Vatican last month, protesters held up signs reading "The Pope protects paedophile priests," "Church without abuse" and "Pope on trial."
Angelo Bagnasco, head of the Conference of Italian Bishops, said on Monday that the Church was slow to react to the abuse and admitted there had been "sins of omission" and "betrayals of trust" in the past.
This month's consistory will also discuss the thorny issue of Anglicans disgruntled with the Church of England's policies on gay marriage and women priests being integrated into the Catholic Church.
The Vatican in 2009 said that such converts would be welcome.
The consistory call coincided with an announcement on Monday that five Anglican bishops are to convert under Benedict's offer.
The Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales said it welcomed the decision by the bishops "to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church."
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