(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences and Superiors of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life to ask for their complete co-operation with the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, in order to insure that everything possible is done to rid the Church of…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences and Superiors of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life to ask for their complete co-operation with the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, in order to insure that everything possible is done to rid the Church of “the scourge” of the sexual abuse of children
Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s report
Below is the English language translation of the Pope’s letter
Last March I established the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which had first been announced in December 2013, for the purpose of offering proposals and initiatives meant to improve the norms and procedures for protecting children and vulnerable adults. I then appointed to the Commission a number of highly qualified persons well-known for their work in this field.
At my meeting in July with persons who had suffered sexual abuse by priests, I was deeply moved by their witness to the depth of their sufferings and the strength of their faith. This experience reaffirmed my conviction that everything possible must be done to rid the Church of the scourge of the sexual abuse of minors and to open pathways of reconciliation and healing for those who were abused.
For this reason, last December I added new members to the Commission, in order to represent the Particular Churches throughout the world. In just a few days, all the members will meet in Rome for the first time.
In light of the above, I believe that the Commission can be a new, important and effective means for helping me to encourage and advance the commitment of the Church at every level – Episcopal Conferences, Dioceses, Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and others – to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure the protection of minors and vulnerable adults, and to respond to their needs with fairness and mercy.
Families need to know that the Church is making every effort to protect their children. They should also know that they have every right to turn to the Church with full confidence, for it is a safe and secure home. Consequently, priority must not be given to any other kind of concern, whatever its nature, such as the desire to avoid scandal, since there is absolutely no place in ministry for those who abuse minors.
Every effort must also be made to ensure that the provisions of the Circular Letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith dated 3 May 2011 are fully implemented. This document was issued to assist Episcopal Conferences in drawing up guidelines for handling cases of sexual abuse of minors by clerics. It is likewise important that Episcopal Conferences establish a practical means for periodically reviewing their norms and verifying that they are being observed.
It is the responsibility of Diocesan Bishops and Major Superiors to ascertain that the safety of minors and vulnerable adults is assured in parishes and other Church institutions. As an expression of the Church’s duty to express the compassion of Jesus towards those who have suffered abuse and towards their families, the various Dioceses, Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life are urged to identify programmes for pastoral care which include provisions for psychological assistance and spiritual care. Pastors and those in charge of religious communities should be available to meet with victims and their loved ones; such meetings are valuable opportunities for listening to those have greatly suffered and for asking their forgiveness.
For all of these reasons, I now ask for your close and complete cooperation with the Commission for the Protection of Minors. The work I have entrusted to them includes providing assistance to you and your Conferences through an exchange of best practices and through programmes of education, training, and developing adequate responses to sexual abuse.
May the Lord Jesus instil in each of us, as ministers of the Church, the same love and affection for the little ones which characterized his own presence among us, and which in turn enjoins on us a particular responsibility for the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. May Mary Most Holy, Mother of tenderness and mercy, help us to carry out, generously and thoroughly, our duty to humbly acknowledge and repair past injustices and to remain ever faithful in the work of protecting those closest to the heart of Jesus.
From the Vatican, 2 February 2015
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Faced with the “ prolonged economic-financial crisis ” which has hit Greece particularly hard, the country’s clergy should not tire of encouraging everyone to have hope in the future, in contrast to a “so-called culture of pessimism ” – that’s what Pope Francis told Greek bishops on their ad limina visit to Rome Thursday.
In a discourse to the bishops meeting in the Vatican, Pope Francis recalled “the spirit of solidarity with which every Christian is called to give concrete witness in daily life constitutes the yeast of hope.” He urged them to maintain “constructive relations” with Greek authorities and members of society in order to promote a future of solidarity “in an attitude of dialogue and collaboration also with the other European countries.”
Fraternal communion, dialogue and solidarity can change society
The Pope encouraged the bishops to strengthen the fraternal bonds not only among their clergy but in communion with the Successor of Peter and the global College of bishops. Such communion is all the more pressing in Greece, the Pope said, which “more than ever” needs political and cultural dialogue for the safeguarding and promotion of the common good.
Such fraternity implies reinforcing “the cultural traditions and Christian roots of Hellenic society,” the Pope affirmed, while being “open to the cultural and spiritual values” brought by migrants. He invited Greece’s Christian communities to welcome migrants regardless their race, language, faith or legal standing, in a spirit of encounter that can “truly contribute to transforming society.”
Supporting the local Church and laity, evangelisation and ecumenism
The Pope encouraged them to renew the evangelical fervor of their communities, especially among young people, and to continue ecumenical dialogue with the Orthodox Church for “a future of serenity and spiritual fruitfulness” for the entire country.
Despite the “many difficulties” facing their communities today, Pope Francis encouraged the bishops to promote vocations, pay “just attention” to Institutes of consecrated life and to enhance the role of the laity in the local Church. The weakening of the family due to secularization, the Holy Father concluded, demands the Church’s perseverance in marriage formation and catechesis – while the elderly, many of whom are alone or abandoned in our “throw away culture,” can offer an indispensable contribution to society.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Faced with the “prolonged economic-financial crisis” which has hit Greece particularly hard, the country’s clergy should not tire of encouraging everyone to have hope in the future, in contrast to a “so-called culture of pessimism” – that’s what Pope Francis told Greek bishops on their ad limina visit to Rome Thursday. In a…
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(Vatican Radio) The Church must proclaim the Gospel “in poverty” and the people proclaiming it must have the sole aim of alleviating the miseries of the poor, never forgetting that this service is the work of the Holy Spirit and not of human hands.
At Mass on Thursday morning in Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis returned to one of his favorite images for the Church – that of a field hospital- inspired by the Gospel of the day, in which Jesus sends his disciples out, two by two, to the villages to preach, heal the sick and drive out “unclean spirits”.
Pope Francis said that there are many “wounded” waiting in the aisles of the Church for a minister of Christ to heal, raise and liberate them from the demons that plague them. He added that Christ’s ministers must always remember, however, that they are simple “servants of the Kingdom”.
Healing wounded hearts
The Pope contemplated Jesus’ description of the attitude his disciples must have as he sends them out among the people. They must be people with no frills attached – “no food, no sack, no money in their belts” he tells them – because the Gospel, “must be proclaimed in poverty” as “salvation is not a theology of prosperity”. It is purely and simply the “good news” of liberation brought to all who are oppressed:
“This is the mission of the Church: the Church that heals, that cares [for people]. I sometimes describe the Church as a field hospital. True, there are many wounded, how many wounded! How many people who need their wounds to be healed! This is the mission of the Church: to heal the wounded hearts, to open doors, to free [people], to say that God is good, God forgives all, that God is our Father, God is tender, that God is always waiting for us … “.
Apostolic zeal , not NGO activism
Pope Francis warned that distracting attention from the essential nature of this proclamation creates the risk of misrepresenting the Church’s mission and losing sight of the only thing that matters: bringing Christ to the poor, the blind, the prisoners:
“It’s true, we have to help and create organizations that help in this: yes, because the Lord gives us the gifts for this. But when we forget this mission, forget poverty, forget the apostolic zeal and instead, place our hope in these [human] means, the Church slowly slips into becoming an NGO, it becomes a beautiful organization: Powerful, but not evangelical, because it lacks that spirit, that poverty, that power to heal”.
Disciples “Workers of the Kingdom”
Pope Francis concluded that the disciples return “happy” from their mission and so Jesus took them with him “to rest for a while”. However, Pope Francis stresses …
“… He does not say to them: ‘How great you are great, now on your next mission you should be better organized …’. Only: ‘When you have done all you have to do, say to yourself:’ We are useless servants’. This is the apostle. And what would be the most beautiful praise for an apostle? ‘He was a worker of the Kingdom, a worker of the Kingdom’. This is the greatest praise, because it means he has chosen Jesus’ path of proclamation: He goes to heal, to safeguard, to proclaim this good news and this year of grace. So that people rediscover the Father, to foster peace in the hearts of the people”.
(from Vatican Radio)…