ROME
CBS News
By Alicia Budich
Preparing to meet with 114 of his Cardinal Brethren Monday morning in Rome, The Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan told Bob Schieffer that while he was looking forward to talking with the other cardinals, praying with them and getting to know one another, difficult topics — including the Church’s sexual abuse scandals — will probably also be a part of their conversations.
Schieffer asked whether or not the congregation meetings, which start on Monday, would address things like transparency and the cover-up of sexual crimes and pedophilia. Dolan insisted “There’s no cardinal with his head in the sand when it comes to these issues.” Dolan elaborated, saying that the afflictions of the world including “sexual immorality, perversion, abuse of children -that affects all elements of society and culture, are particularly hideous when it comes to the Church. And that that will be an issue? I predict it will.”
Pope Benedict XVI alluded to some of these issues on Wednesday in his last public address as Pope. He told about 150,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square that over the eight years of his papacy, the church “has seen moments joy and light, but also difficult moments… there have been times when the seas were rough and the wind against us, as in the whole history of the church it has ever been – and the Lord seemed to sleep.”
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