杏MAP导航

By Christopher Wells

鈥淚f one member suffers, all suffer together with it.鈥�

These words, taken from St Paul鈥檚 First Letter to the Corinthians, struck the key note for 杏MAP导航 Francis in an impassioned letter addressed to the whole People of God.

The letter comes in response to an ongoing crisis of sexual abuse by 鈥渁 significant number of clerics and consecrated persons鈥� 鈥� crimes that were covered up and perpetuated by those who should have been protecting the vulnerable. In particular, the Holy Father referred to a report released by a Grand Jury in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania which, he wrote, 鈥渄etailed the experiences of at least a thousand survivors, victims of sexual abuse, the abuse of power and of conscience at the hands of priests over a period of approximately seventy years.鈥�

However, despite being occasioned by the recent scandals, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke insisted that the letter was meant for the whole Church. 鈥淭his is about Ireland, this is about the United States, and this is about Chile. But not only. 杏MAP导航 Francis has written to the People of God 鈥� and that means everyone.鈥�

Abandoning the little ones

In his letter, the Holy Father speaks of the realization that the 鈥渨ounds鈥� caused by abuse 鈥渘ever disappear and that they require us forcefully to condemn these atrocities and join forces in uprooting this culture of death.鈥� He admits that the Church has failed to deal adequately with the crisis of abuse. 鈥淲ith shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 says. 鈥淲e showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis calls for solidarity with those who have been abused. 鈥淪uch a solidarity,鈥� he said, 鈥渄emands that we in turn condemn whatever endangers the integrity of the person.鈥� It is a solidarity, 鈥渢hat summons us to fight all forms of corruption, especially spiritual corruption.鈥�

The 杏MAP导航 also notes that the Church has delayed in applying the 鈥渁ctions and sanctions鈥� that are necessary for the implementation of a 鈥渮ero tolerance鈥� policy, but said he is 鈥渃onfident that鈥� those actions and sanctions 鈥渨ill help to guarantee a greater culture of care in the present and the future.鈥�

Conversion, prayer, and fasting

杏MAP导航 Francis calls on all the baptized to be a part of the 鈥渆cclesial and social change we so greatly need.鈥� This change, he continued, requires 鈥減ersonal and communal conversion.鈥� And in order to experience that 鈥渃onversion of heart,鈥� he encouraged 鈥渢he entire faithful People of God to a penitential exercise of prayer and fasting鈥� 鈥� a reference to our Lord鈥檚 words in Matthew 17:21 that 鈥渢his kind [of demon] does not come out except by prayer and fasting.鈥� Greg Burke explained, 鈥溞覯AP导航 Francis says greater accountability is urgently needed, not only for those who committed these crimes, but also for those who covered them up 鈥� which in many cases means Bishops.鈥�

A response from the whole Church

The Holy Father emphasizes that the present crisis demands a response from the whole Church as a body. 鈥淐onsequently, the only way that we have to respond to this evil that has darkened so many lives is to experience it as a task regarding all of us as the People of God.鈥� This response requires the 鈥渁ctive participation of all the Church鈥檚 members,鈥� and 鈥渨ill be helped by the penitential dimension of fasting and prayer.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis says, 鈥淚t is essential that we, as a Church, be able to acknowledge and condemn, with sorrow and shame, the atrocities perpetrated by consecrated persons, clerics, and all those entrusted with the mission of watching over and caring for those most vulnerable. Let us beg forgiveness for our own sins and the sins of others.鈥�