ROME
Monsters and Critics
Rome – A four-day Vatican-sponsored symposium on ways to prevent and detect sexual abuses of minors by clerics began in Rome on Monday, attended by representatives from Catholic dioceses around the world.
The gathering, hosted by Rome’s Jesuit-run Gregorian University, is entitled ‘Towards Healing and Renewal.’ Organizers say it aims to tackle topics linked to abuse scandals which in recent years have rocked the Catholic Church.
Widespread allegations of abuse have surfaced in several parts of the world, including the US, Ireland, Brazil, Belgium, the Netherlands and Pope Benedict XVI’s native Germany.
The symposium is being held against the backdrop of ongoing criticism of the Vatican’s handling of the abuses, including measures against so-called predator-priests. Many dioceses face a slew of lawsuits by victims or groups representing them.
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