said , recounting his chat with the pope . `` People will see the church does n't just speak about opposition to gay marriage and abortion . ' '' The pope appeared to be receptive to the idea , Boteach said . '' ` We have to work together on this , we have to work together on this , ' '' Boteach quoted the pope as saying . But , Benedict did not make a firm commitment to the family dinner initiative , the rabbi said . The Vatican was not immediately available for comment . `` The church is now perceived as not being a champion of families because the scandal has hit with so much force , '' Boteach said . `` I came -LRB- to the Vatican -RRB- as a friend and as someone who is critical as well . Because my criticism is real , the church knows my friendship is real . '' Following his talk with the pope , Boteach said he was invited to meet with Cardinal Walter Kasper , who spearheads the Vatican 's Jewish outreach , with whom Boteach fleshed out his criticism of the church 's response to priestly
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A rabbi walks into St. Peter 's Square , meets the pope , and tells the Holy Father that one way to defuse the sex abuse scandal plaguing the church is for the Vatican to begin promoting a secular version of Shabbat dinner , the traditional Jewish Friday meal . It 's no joke . A prominent American rabbi , Shmuley Boteach , spoke briefly to Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday about encouraging parents to eat dinner with their children as a way for the Vatican to re-establish its pro-family image , which has been battered by the priest sex abuse scandal , Boteach said . The brief exchange came after the pope 's regular Wednesday address at the Vatican , during which Boteach was seated on a dais along with other Vatican guests . When he met Benedict on a receiving line afterward , Boteach pitched him on his family dinner initiative , called `` Turn Friday Night into Family Night . '' `` I said ... ` If the church embraces an initiative like this , which is positive , it could put a lot of the scandal behind it , ' '' Boteach