Speakers at NFPC convention emphasize reconciliation, prayer

Published: 2004-04-26

ATLANTA (CNS) -- At the annual meeting of the National Federation of Priests' Councils, NFPC president Father Robert Silva called upon priests to renew and revitalize the church through an intentional ministry of reconciliation. In an address April 20, Father Silva, a parish priest from Stockton, Calif., reflected on the shock of the clergy that their priest brothers involved in sexual abuse could have harmed children and that those in authority in the church did not take more aggressive action in addressing the criminal behavior. Frequently called upon to speak on behalf of U.S. priests in national interviews over the last two years, Father Silva spoke of the struggles priests have experienced as "the tremendous amount of news coverage, the calls of victims' groups, the loud cries of reform groups, the critiques of the church, the challenges to the priesthood in general ... all came down upon our heads and shoulders."

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