Next month’s Vatican summit of bishops on clerical sex abuse will include a penitential liturgy as well as opportunities for discussion and prayer aimed at helping to ensure bishops return to their dioceses with a clear understanding of how to deal with the scourge.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the Vatican said the much-anticipated Feb. 21-24 meeting on “the protection of minors in the Church” would include “plenary sessions, working groups, moments of common prayer and listening to testimonies, a penitential liturgy and a final Eucharistic celebration.”
Pope Francis has entrusted retired Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi with the task of “moderating the plenary sessions of the meeting,” the Vatican statement added.
Papal representative Alessandro Gisotti said in a separate communiqué to reporters that the meeting has “a concrete purpose,” the goal of which is to ensure that bishops “clearly understand what they need to do to prevent and combat the worldwide problem of the sexual abuse of minors.”
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