Vatican mulls change in sex abuse laws

NEW YORK, April 18 (UPI) -- The Roman Catholic Church is considering changing church law on the handling of sexual abuse by priests, a Vatican official said Friday in New York.

Cardinal William Levada -- the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- spoke of the possible change Friday, one day after Pope Benedict XVI met in Washington with a small group of victims of clergy abuse, The New York Times reported.

The pope has prominently mentioned the clergy abuse scandal several times since Tuesday, when he began his first visit to the United States.

Levada heads the office that handles clergy abuse matters. Speaking Friday at a luncheon sponsored by Time magazine, Levada did not say which parts of the Catholic Church canon law are under review for possible revision, but he suggested they relate to the church's statute of limitations, The Times reported.

He said his office has often had to consider years-old allegations because victims "don't feel personally able to come forward" at the time they are abused because of their age.