US Catholic leaders resumed talks today at the Vatican to draw up a battle plan against child sex scandals.
A dozen American cardinals sat down with senior Vatican officials in a conference room to try to reach an agreement on new national guidelines that it is hoped will restore credibility to the battered US Catholic Church.
The group will have a working lunch with the Pope before concluding their unprecedented, two-day meeting tonight with a final statement.
The Pope yesterday said there was no room in the Catholic Church for priests who harm children.
US Catholics welcomed the Pope's statement but some said they came late and that it would take more than strong words to end the crisis and heal the victims.
The Pope said he was deeply grieved by the scandal.
"People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young", he told the meeting yesterday.