(CNN) -- 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."
@highlight
American rabbi Shmuley Boteach spoke to Pope Benedict XVI about dinner idea
@highlight
Boteach calls his proposal "Turn Friday Night into Family Night"
@highlight
Pope seemed receptive to idea, but made no firm commitments, Boteach said
"I thinks he's a friend to the @placeholder -- a very close friend," Boteach said of the pope.