Roman Catholic Church Holds Summit on Priest Child Abuse

Press TV
February 7, 2012

http://presstv.com/detail/225501.html

Pope Benedict XVI

The Roman Catholic Church is holding its first summit in Rome aimed at discussing ways to confront a rise in the sexual abuse of children by priests.

The Vatican’s previous stance towards the issue had been one in support of the priests involved in the abuse cases.

Mounting pressure on the Roman Church has led it to focus on protecting the victims.

''Healing for victims must be of paramount concern in the Christian community, and it must go hand in hand with a profound renewal of the church at every level,'' Pope Benedict XVI said.

Bishops from 100 nations, as well as 33 religious leaders attended the summit.

Over the past years, large numbers of such scandals involving Roman priests have surfaced. The Pope has been accused of trying to cover up the scandals.

Abuse allegations have rocked the Roman Catholic Church in Germany in recent years, making thousands of disenchanted Germans leave the Church over revelations of abuse.

About 180,000 renounced their Catholicism in 2010, up 40% from 2009, due to the revelations of priests sexually abusing minors, the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.