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	Vatican Indicates Reconsidering Canon Laws on Sexual Abuse The Hindu (India) April 19, 2008 http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200804191330.htm New York (PTI): Vatican is considering changes to canon laws that govern the handling of cases of child sexual abuse by priests, a top official has indicated. Cardinal William J Levada, who heads the Vatican office that rules on cases of sexual abuse forwarded to Rome by bishops throughout the world has suggested that canons under reconsideration related to the church's statute of limitations, the New York Times has said. Though the cardinal did not clearly specify which canons were being considered for change, he said his office has frequently had to judge allegations dating back in the past because the victims "don't feel personally able to come forward" until they are more mature, the newspaper said. The statute of limitations refers to a statute that sets forth the maximum period of time, after certain events, that legal proceeding based on those events may be initiated. The statute of limitations under the church's canon law is 10 years after the victim's 18th birthday, Nicholas P Cafardi, dean emeritus of Duquesne Law School and a civil and canon lawyer, was quoted as saying. The comments by the Cardinal Levada have come after Pope Benedict XVI repeatedly referred to the abuse by priests and even prayed with victims on his recent visit to the United States. The cardinal was responding to questions at a luncheon given by Time magazine. The Vatican, the newspaper noted, had been reluctant to focus attention on the scandal until Benedict XVI's recent trip to US, his first visit to the country as a pope.
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