The cloistered Augustine nun who has written the meditations for Pope Benedict's Way of the Cross service said she strived for simplicity to give a voice to children who have been abused in the Church and beyond.

Mother Maria Rita Piccione, president of the Italian Federation of Augustinian Nuns, told Vatican Radio that she wanted "to give space in this prayer of the Church to the voice of children and teens, who sometimes are offended, injured and exploited.

Here I am referring not just to the cases of abuse that have been talked about so much, because the problem is much vaster and regards all humanity."

Pope Benedict chose the Augustinian to write the meditations that will be read Good Friday, April 22, as he leads the Stations of the Cross at Rome's Colosseum.