The Vatican spokesman says the Catholic Church, hit by a clerical sex abuse scandal, is capable of recognizing its wounds and healing. The Rev. Federico Lombardi said a recent meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and abuse victims in Malta brought the victims new hope. Lombardi told Vatican Radio on Saturday that the meeting came in the context of an alive, dynamic church that is 'capable of recognizing its wounds sincerely but also of obtaining the grace of healing.' Several bishops have resigned over the past weeks, mostly under the weight of accusations that they shielded abusive priests. On Friday, Belgium's longest-serving bishop resigned, expressing sorrow for having sexually abused a boy both as a priest and after becoming bishop. 