There have been reports of members of the Catholic clergy abusing their positions of authority to engage in sexual misconduct with vulnerable young members of their flocks for decades. But recently, there have been a flurry of new reports of abuse — and cover-ups of that abuse by the Church — and now, Pope Francis himself has addressed the allegations of “atrocities” committed by members of the clergy.
The Pope admitted that abuse within the Church is a serious problem, and called for “prayer and penance” from the entire Church in response.
In a “Letter to the People of God” shared in its entirety by Vatican News, Pope Francis quoted Saint Paul in 1 Cor. 12:26, writing of the alleged abuse: “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it.”
“Atrocities” left “deep wounds”
In his letter, the Pope acknowledged “the suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power, and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons” over the years.
He also acknowledged the “deep wounds” such crimes have left on victims and their families, and noted that there was no sufficient way in which to beg forgiveness or repair the damage that had been wrought. Instead, he sought to help create a new culture in the Church that would both prevent future instances of abuse and prevent the Church from covering up such criminal behavior.
“We have realized that these wounds never disappear and that they require us forcefully to condemn these atrocities and join forces in uprooting this culture of death; these wounds never go away,” the Pope wrote. “The heart-wrenching pain of these victims, which cries out to heaven, was long ignored, kept quiet or silenced.”
He went on: “With 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. We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them.”
Prayer and penance
The Pope also mentioned ongoing efforts poised to devise new ways to “ensure the safety and protection of the integrity of children and of vulnerable adults” and promised to have “zero tolerance” toward those who violate the young.
He also apologized for the delay in implementing such reformatory measures.
He then called on the whole of the Church, from the highest ranks of the clergy to the lowest layperson, to devote themselves to a “penitential exercise of prayer and fasting” such that the Church could stand together against such abuse in solidarity so such abuse and cover-ups would “never again” happen.
“It 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,” he wrote. “Let us beg forgiveness for our own sins and the sins of others.”
[show_poll poll_id=736]
Pope Francis more or less confessed that the Church has been aware of and covered up the sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy, but he admitted the grievous sins were wrong and must be addressed head on.
Whether his call for fasting and prayer as a form of penance from the entire Church will prove sufficient to ensure such crimes don’t continue going forward remains to be seen.
811 Responses
I must thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this site. I am hoping to view the same high-grade blog posts from you in the future as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my very own website now 😉
The next time I read a blog, I hope that it does not disappoint me as much as this particular one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read through, however I actually thought you would have something helpful to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something you could fix if you weren’t too busy searching for attention.
I every time used to study article in news papers but now as I am a user of net therefore from now I am using net for articles, thanks to web.|
Hello! I just wish to give you a huge thumbs up for your great info you have got right here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright violation? My blog has a lot of unique content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my agreement. Do you know any methods to help stop content from being stolen? I’d really appreciate it.
I visited many sites however the audio quality for audio songs present at this website is really superb.|
whoah this blog is magnificent i love reading your articles. Stay up the great work! You know, lots of individuals are looking round for this information, you could help them greatly. |
Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Thank you, However I am having difficulties with your RSS. I don’t understand why I cannot subscribe to it. Is there anyone else getting identical RSS problems? Anyone who knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanx!!
Great article. I will be going through some of these issues as well..
Great web site you’ve got here.. It’s hard to find excellent writing like yours nowadays. I really appreciate people like you! Take care!!
There is definately a great deal to know about this topic. I really like all the points you’ve made.
Good post. I will be going through some of these issues as well..
bookmarked!!, I like your blog!
I truly love your blog.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you create this site yourself? Please reply back as I’m attempting to create my own blog and would like to find out where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Appreciate it!
Hi to all, how is all, I think every one is getting more from this web page, and your views are fastidious in support of new visitors.|
I was able to find good advice from your articles.
I enjoy reading an article that will make people think. Also, thank you for allowing me to comment!
Admiring the commitment you put into your blog and in depth information you present. It’s nice to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same out of date rehashed information. Wonderful read! I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.
Hi there! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this article to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
Great info. Lucky me I discovered your website by accident (stumbleupon). I’ve saved as a favorite for later!
You’re so interesting! I don’t think I’ve read anything like this before. So nice to discover someone with some genuine thoughts on this issue. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This site is one thing that is required on the internet, someone with a bit of originality!
Every weekend i used to go to see this web page, as i wish for enjoyment, since this this site conations truly good funny information too.|
I like the way you have concluded this blog post …
I’m impressed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and engaging, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is an issue that too few men and women are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I came across this in my search for something concerning this.
Hi there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading through your blog posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same topics? Thanks a lot!|
I quite like reading through a post that will make men and women think. Also, many thanks for allowing me to comment!
Hi, constantly i used to check webpage posts here in the early hours in the dawn, for the reason that i like to find out more and more.|
I quite like looking through a post that can make people think. Also, many thanks for permitting me to comment!
What an fantastic manner of considering things.
It’s difficult to find knowledgeable people on this topic, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful article. Thanks for supplying these details.
Hello there! I simply want to offer you a huge thumbs up for your great info you have right here on this post. I will be coming back to your website for more soon.
Hello there! This post could not be written any better! Going through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept talking about this. I’ll forward this article to him. Pretty sure he’ll have a great read. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Thank you so much, However I am encountering difficulties with your RSS. I don’t understand why I cannot subscribe to it. Is there anybody having similar RSS problems? Anyone who knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanx!!
Your style is so unique compared to other people I’ve read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this site.
I read this paragraph fully about the difference of latest and previous technologies, it’s amazing article.|
You made some good points there. I looked on the internet for more info about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this web site.
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how could we communicate?|
Your style is very unique compared to other folks I have read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this blog.
Hello! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having difficulty finding one? Thanks a lot!