Pope asks for prayers for abusive clergy

VATICAN CITY, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI spoke at the Vatican calling for daily prayer to rid the Catholic Church of "grave situations" involving the sexual activity of some clergy.

The pope asked Roman Catholics to pray for the "mercy of God for the victims of the grave situations caused by the moral and sexual conduct" of clergy members in daily prayers of penance and purification, The Times of London said Monday.

Church leaders at the Vatican said each parish or diocese shall designate a person or group to conduct daily and continuous prayer services to cleanse the church of the scandal.

Vatican officials said the order appends support for legal action targeting sexually abusive priests and a code to prevent men "with deep-seated homosexual tendencies" from entering the priesthood.

The pope condemned publicly "how much filth there is in the church" during a Good Friday sermon during Easter 2005 while serving as a cardinal.

The pope's homily for the feast of the Epiphany Sunday criticized Western nation's "conflicts for economic supremacy" ahead of an encyclical detailing the social effects of globalization.