Vatican tries to reboot priesthood amid crisis over abuses
By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press
ROME (AP) — The Vatican has opened a three-day conference on rebooting the Catholic priesthood amid a drop in vocations and a credibility crisis over sex abuse scandals. The cardinal who organized the conference said the event’s aim is to break down the “clericalized” concept of the priesthood that is at the root of the scandal. He says priests have assumed a perverted place of power over their flocks and created a crisis in which “sex abuses are just the visible and perverse tip of the iceberg.” Pope Francis opened the conference on Thursday. Francis also blamed “clericalism” for distorting the true meaning of the priesthood, which he said is a vocation of service, not power.
