(09 Apr 10 - RV) The Head of the Press Office of the Holy See, Jesuit Fr. Federico
Lombardi has published an essay in the Vatican Newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano,
in which he addressed the ongoing crisis of sexual abuse of minors. Sean Patrick Lovett
reports...
"The crisis
concerning sexual abuse, and not only that committed by the clergy, continues with
news items and comments of various kinds. How can we navigate these stormy waters
while maintaining a secure course and responding to the evangelical motto 'Duc in
altum - Put out into the deep'?
In the first place, by continuing to seek
truth, and peace for the victims. One of the most striking things is that today so
many inner wounds are coming to light, wounds that also date back to many years (sometimes
decades) ago, but evidently still open, Many victims do not seek financial compensation
but inner assistance, a judgement on their painful individual experiences. There is
something that we have yet to fully understand; perhaps we need a more profound experience
of events that have had such a negative impact on the lives of individuals, of the
Church and of society. One example of this, at the collective level, is the hatred
and violence of conflicts between peoples which are, as we see, so difficult to overcome
in true reconciliation. Abuse opens wounds at a deep inner level. For this reason,
certain episcopates were right when they courageously resumed developing ways and
places in which victims could express themselves freely, listening to them without
taking it for granted that the problem had already been faced and overcome by the
crisis centres established sometime ago. For this reason also, other episcopates and
individual bishops were right to intervene with caring attention, showing spiritual,
liturgical and human concern for victims. It seems certain that the number of new
accusations of abuse is falling, as is happening in the United States, but for many
people the road to profound healing is only now beginning, and for others it has yet
to start. In the context of this concern for victims, the Pope has written of his
readiness to hold new meetings with them, thus sharing in the journey of the entire
ecclesial community. But this journey, in order to achieve profound effects, must
take place in a climate of respect for people and the search for peace.
Alongside
concern for victims we must continue to implement, decisively and truthfully, the
correct procedures for the canonical judgement of the guilty, and for collaborating
with the civil authorities in matters concerning their judicial and penal competencies,
taking the specific norms and situations of the various countries into account. Only
in this way can we hope effectively to rebuild a climate of justice and complete trust
in the ecclesiastical institution. It has happened that a number of leaders of communities
and institutions, through inexperience or lack of preparation, have not had a ready
understanding of the protocols and criteria for intervention which could have helped
them intervene decisively even when this was very difficult or painful for them. But,
while civil law intervenes through general norms, canon law must take account of the
specific moral gravity of an abuse of the trust placed in persons who hold positions
of responsibility within the ecclesial community, and of the flagrant contradiction
with the conduct they should show. In this sense, transparency and rigour are urgent
requirements for wise and just government within the Church.
The formation
and selection of candidates for the priesthood, and more generally of the staff of
educational and pastoral institutions, is the basis for an effective prevention of
the risk of future abuses. Achieving a healthy maturity of the personality, also from
a sexual point of view, has always been a difficult challenge, but today it is particularly
so, although the best psychological and medical knowledge is of great help in spiritual
and moral formation. It has been observed that the greatest frequency of abuses coincided
with the most intense period of the 'sexual revolution' of past decades. Formation
must take account of this context and of the more general context of secularisation.
In the final analysis, this means rediscovering and reaffirming the meaning and importance
of sexuality, chastity and emotional relationships in today's world, and doing so
in concrete, not just verbal or abstract, terms. What a source of disorder and suffering
their violation or undervaluation can be! As the Pope observed in his Letter to Irish
Catholics, a Christian priestly life today can respond to the requirements of its
vocation only by truly nourishing itself at the wellspring of faith and friendship
with Christ.
People who love truth and the objective evaluation of problems
will know where to seek and find information for a more overall comprehension of the
problem of paedophilia and the sexual abuse of minors in our time, in different countries,
understanding its range and pervasiveness. Thus they will be able to achieve a better
understanding of the degree to which the Catholic Church shares problems that are
not only her own, to what extent they have particular gravity for her and require
specific interventions, and, finally, the extent to which the experience the Church
is going through in this field may also be useful for other institutions or for society
as a whole. In this context, we truly feel that the communications media have not
yet worked sufficiently, especially in countries in which the Church has a stronger
presence and in which she is more easily subject to criticism. Yet, documents such
as the national US report on the mistreatment of children deserve to be better known
in order to understand what fields require urgent social intervention, and the proportions
of the problem. In the U.S.A. in 2008 alone, 62,000 people were identified as having
committed acts of abuse against minors, while the proportion of Catholic priests was
so small as not to be taken into consideration as a group.
The protection
of minors and young people is, then, an immense and unlimited field, which goes well
beyond the specific problem concerning certain members of the clergy. People who sensitively,
generously and attentively dedicate their efforts to this problem deserve gratitude,
respect and encouragement from everyone, especially from the ecclesial and civil authorities.
Theirs is an essential contribution for the serenity and credibility of the education
and formation of young people, both inside and outside the Church. The Pope rightly
expressed words of great appreciation for them in his Letter to Irish Catholics, though
naturally with a view to a vaster horizon.
Finally, Pope Benedict XVI, a
coherent guide along the path of rigour and truth, merits all respect and support,
testimony of which is reaching him from all parts of the Church. He is a pastor well
capable of facing - with great rectitude and confidence - this difficult time in which
there is no lack of criticism and unfounded insinuations. It must be said that he
is a Pope who has spoken a lot about the Truth of God and about respect for truth;
and he has become a credible witness of this. We accompany him, learning from him
the constancy necessary to grow in truth and transparency, continuing to open our
horizons to the serious problems of the world and responding patiently to the slow
and gradual release of partial or presumed 'revelations' which seek to undermine his
credibility, and that of other institutions or individuals of the Church.
This patient and solid love of truth is necessary, in the Church, in the society in
which we live, in communicating and in writing, if we wish to serve rather than confuse
our fellow men and women".