Catherine Marciano

The idea is that the 114 heads of bishops' conferences will return home with clear ideas on how to spot and deal with abuse

The Vatican has already warned that in some countries the church is dragging its feet because of cultural difference over what constitutes child abuse

In front of 45 000 supporters in the west of Ireland, the pope spoke of the 'open wound' of the Church's sexual abuse scandal

The pope has admitted that the Church had 'delayed' in applying the necessary sanctions

Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair offered a ''hand of partnership'' to Libyan leader Colonel Moammar Gadaffi in Tripoli on Thursday in a changing post-September 11 world, after a landmark meeting and handshakes that came three months after Libya's decision to abandon weapons of mass destruction.