A leading cardinal, addressing Pope Benedict at the start of an Easter Sunday ceremony, told the pontiff the Catholic Church would not let itself be influenced by what he called “petty gossip” about sexual abuse of children by priests.
“Holy Father, the people of God are with you and will not let themselves be influenced by the petty gossip of the moment, by the trials that sometimes assail the community of believers,” said Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals.
(Editing by Tim Pearce)
(For more on faith and ethics, read the Reuters religion blog FaithWorld http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld)
