Pope's Address to Victims of Sexual Abuse

Zenit ^ | 9/27/15

[markomalley]

Here is the Vatican translation of the Pope's address to victims of sexual abuse by the clergy, who he met with early this morning at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. Following his address, the Pope met privately with each of the individuals present at the meeting.

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My dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, I am grateful for this opportunity to meet you. I am blessed by your presence. Thank you for coming here today.

Words cannot fully express my sorrow for the abuse you suffered. You are precious children of God who should always expect our protection, our care and our love. I am profoundly sorry that your innocence was violated by those who you trusted. In some cases the trust was betrayed by members of your own family, in other cases by priests who carry a sacred responsibility for the care of soul, In all circumstances, the betrayal was a terrible violation of human dignity.

For those who were abused by a member of the clergy, I am deeply sorry for the times when you or your family spoke out, to report the abuse, but you were not heard or believed. Please know that the Holy Father hears you and believes you. I deeply regret that some bishops failed in their responsibility to protect children. It is very disturbing to know that in some cases bishops even were abusers. I pledge to you that we will follow the path of truth wherever it may lead. Clergy and bishops will be held accountable when they abuse or fail to protect children.

We are gathered here in Philadelphia to celebrate God's gift of family life. Within our family of faith and our human families, the sins and crimes of sexual abuse of children must no longer be held in secret and in shame. As we anticipate the Jubilee Year of Mercy, your presence, so generously given despite the anger and pain you have experienced, reveals the merciful heart of Christ. Your stories of survival, each unique and compelling, are powerful signs of the hope that comes from the Lord's promise to be with us always.

It is good to know that you have brought family members and friends with you today. I am grateful for their compassionate support and pray that many people of the Church will respond to the call to accompany those who have suffered abuse. May the Door of Mercy be opened wide in our dioceses, our parishes, our homes and our hearts, to receive those who were abused and to seek the path to forgiveness by trusting in the Lord. We promise to support your continued healing and to always be vigilant to protect the children of today and tomorrow.

When the disciples who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus recognized that He was the Risen Lord, they asked Jesus to stay with them. Like those disciples, I humbly beg you and all survivors of abuse to stay with us, to stay with the Church, and that together, as pilgrims on the journey of faith, we might find our way to the Father.

[markomalley]

(presented without comment so that you can base opinions on what was said rather than based upon media spin)

[seawolf101]

This reminds me of Hillary Clinton now telling the women that her husband raped that they should speak out about being raped.

[kingu]

Cardinals too, holy father, but then again, until such time as homosexuality is linked to global warming, it probably has no interest to you.

Whee, the Pope apologized for the actions of others. Call homosexuality a sin, excommunicate those who follow the deviant behavior, and come out far more strongly against the worldwide corruption of the word marriage, and your apology might actually sound real.

I know you’re busy, there’s another country to rake over the coals for actually believing that they should be able to make rules for those who enter their country - gosh, come to think about it, there’s no country in the world who has more strict rules as to who may or may not enter and call themselves citizen than yours.

[PROCON]

Yes, it was horrible what the homosexual pedophile priests did.

[PeterPrinciple]

the Pope met privately with each of the individuals present at the meeting.

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Don’t know what I would say in his shoes publically. Don’t know what was said privately.

Mercy word used a lot. Didn’t see the word justice. I wonder how much time his writers spent on it making sure it said nothing? Didn’t get the feeling he was passionate enough to take action.

So in this case action will have to speak louder that words. What action has he taken?

[PeterPrinciple]

When giving a speech there should always be a goal, one of the things I learned in Toastmasters. I read it and didn’t figure it out but there it is below:

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Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi told reporters.

Lombardi said the victims emerged from the meeting moved by what he described as a “profound spiritual encounter and dialogue.”

“If you had seen the people coming out of the meeting, it would have been totally, absolutely clear that it was not a publicity stunt,” Lombardi said, reacting to a statement last month by SNAP calling the meeting “self-serving.”

“The most important thing the Pope hopes to come out of this occasion, is that the victims themselves felt welcomed and listened to,” Lombardi said.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/07/world/pope-clerical-sex-abuse/index.html

[PeterPrinciple]

We are getting things parsed through his speech writers and the media but I don’t think the below communicates the evilness that happened.

“This is very serious,” he said. “It is like, by way of comparison, holding a black Mass. You are supposed to lead them to sanctity and instead you lead them to a problem that will last their entire lives.”

Pope Francis asks forgiveness for priests who sexually abused children
http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/07/world/pope-clerical-sex-abuse/index.html

Ex-Vatican envoy to Dominican Republic guilty of child sex abuse, tribunal finds http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/27/world/europe/vatican-envoy-sex-abuse/

[servantboy777]

Child sexual abuse is one of the most despicable sins. Whether by a priest, teacher, coach or family member, it steals the innocence of a child and send him/her into a life of spiritual/emotional woundedness that last a lifetime.

Often times leads to drug/alcohol abuse to dampen the emotions, serial marriages/divorce, anger, trust issues...even mistrust in God.

The catholic church needs to do more to help the abused come back into communion. Those who have suffered from abuse as a child should be handled by the church in a way that doesn't cause more emotional suffering by ostracizing the abused.

Just my take.