By Deacon Eric Gurash
With files from vaticannews.va
The long-anticipated “Protection of Minors in the Church” gathering at the Vatican began Thursday, February 21 with Pope Francis identifying the purpose and mission of the gathering stating unequivocally that “the Holy People of God look to us and expect from us not simple and predictable condemnations, but concrete and effective measures to be established”.
Prayer, scripture and silent reflection preceded the Pope’s opening remarks to the 180 representatives gathered from various religious orders, Vatican Dicasteries, the Roman Curia and presidents of the major episcopal conferences from around the world. Invoking the Holy Spirit over this unprecedented gathering in response to the abuse crisis within the Church Pope Francis prayed for assistance “to help us and transform this evil into an opportunity for awareness and purification.”
After expressing gratitude for the work of the organizing committee, which includes Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Maltese Archbishop and secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Charles Scicluna and Fr. Hans Zollner, SJ, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle was invited to give the opening presentation.
It was a presentation that immediately went to the heart of the matter, recognizing that the lack of response of the Church’s most trusted shepherds, her bishops, to the suffering of victims “Has injured our people, leaving a deep wound in our relationship with those we are sent to serve.” Cardinal Tagle added that we cannot expect these wounds to disappear, comparing them to the wounds of the resurrected Christ saying “wounds remain wounds,” and asking “how can we profess faith in Christ when we close our eyes to all the wounds inflicted by abuse?”
Three themes will dominate the three days of the gathering: Responsibility, Accountability, and Transparency. Each is to be articulated through similarly themed presentations followed by an opportunity for questions after which participants will gather in smaller language groups for further discussion. The focus in each area will be to identify clearly the relationships and responsibilities of bishops to each other, the People of God, and to society as a whole.
Presenters have been chosen so as to represent a variety of continents, and cultural realities within the global Church.
Of particular importance will be the opportunity for the voices of victims to be heard by Church leaders who have often, and rightly been criticized for ignoring and even covering up abuse cases. The testimonies of 5 victims from various continents were heard at the start of the meeting. In addition, one victim each day will offer a testimony during evening prayer in an effort to promote an awareness that a process of ongoing listening to victims is essential.
A final document, similar to those produced at the end of other synodal gatherings, such as the most recent Synod of Bishops on Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment, is not currently planned. Instead, an additional meeting will be held immediately following this gathering which will involve the Organizing Committee and the heads of various Vatican Dicasteries. Their goal will be to discuss the proposals of these three days and identify the specific tasks that must be accomplished in order to transform the proposals of this meeting on the “Protection of Minors in the Church” into concrete and effective actions.
