Vatican official proposes plans for reparation for priestly abuse

Published: 2008-01-07

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A leading Vatican official has proposed a worldwide program of eucharistic adoration to seek spiritual reparation for the damage caused by the sexual abuse of children by priests. Cardinal Claudio Hummes, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, said the initiative would involve dioceses, parishes, monasteries, convents and seminaries in a prayer movement to support priestly holiness. In a particular way, the initiative will ask reparation "for the victims of grave situations of moral and sexual conduct of a very small percentage of clergy," Cardinal Hummes said in an interview Jan. 4 with the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. "We are asking everyone to participate in eucharistic adoration to repair before God the damage that was done and to uphold once again the dignity of the victims," the cardinal said. "Yes, we wanted to think of the victims so that they feel that we are close to them. We are concerned above all with them, and it's important to say so," he said. The cardinal said that only a small minority of priests has been involved in sexual abuse cases.

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