Pope summons cardinals over abuse scandals

POPE Benedict XVI has summoned his cardinals to Rome to discuss the Catholic Church’s response to cases of sexual abuse by clergymen, the Vatican said.

The unprecedented talks set for November 19, which come on the eve of a meeting that will formally recognise 24 new cardinals, will also discuss the procedure for accepting Anglican converts into the Church.

“The Pope has invited the members of the college of cardinals and the new cardinals to a day of reflection and prayer on Friday, November 19,” it said, adding that “the Church’s response to sexual abuse cases,” will be among the themes.

The meeting, known as a consistory, will be led by William Joseph Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the body in charge of Church dogma that was headed for more than 20 years by the current pope.

Levada, a US cardinal who was formerly the archbishop of San Francisco, is seen as a conservative stalwart and has been criticised by victims of sex abuse by priests of covering up Church crimes.

The consistory is set to bring together the Church’s 203 cardinals, including the newly-appointed ones. The college of cardinals holds key power in the Church because it is the organisation which elects new popes.

Following the publication in November 2009 of a report revealing hundreds of cases of child sex abuse by the clergy in Ireland, Benedict has grappled with the most serious crisis in the Church of recent years.

There have since been many new abuse scandals around Europe and the US.