February abuse summit will have to navigate waters of a global church

• John L. Allen Jr.
• crux

February abuse summit will have to navigate waters of a global church

DENVER - On Friday, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India, was among the prelates tapped by Pope Francis to organize his Feb. 21-24 summit of presidents of bishops’ conferences from around the world to tackle the clerical sexual abuse scandals that have rocked Catholicism for decades.
In comments to Crux later in the day (collected by our relentless Mumbai correspondent, Nirmala Carvalho), Gracias said he sees the organizing panel as a sign that Francis “is taking the protection of minors very seriously.”
Gracias made another point that’s worth thinking about. Speaking of the need for a global strategy, he said of the planning group, “I am very pleased with the composition of the group as it is according to the needs of every continent. It is tailored to the needs of the lay faithful of every place.”