Once a month Sister Barbara Flannery waits outside a door for about two hours. On the other side is a support group for people sexually abused as minors by priests. I’m there, hanging around, said Sister Flannery, chancellor of the Diocese of Oakland, Calif., and a member of the Sisters of St.

As the bishops of the United States design new programs to prevent sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy, they also are seeking ways to deal with the human pain of victims. One bishop has washed a victim’s feet on Holy Thursday. Others have cried with victims. Some have prayed in sil