Pope Promises Church Action on Clerical Sexual Abuse
(21 Apr 10 - RV)Pope Benedict XVI today held his weekly General Audience, during which
he looked back on his weekend pilgrimage to the small, but intensely and vibrantly
Catholic island of Malta.
In his
reflections in Italian, the Holy Father made special mention of his private meeting
with Maltese victims of clerical sexual abuse, saying he shared their suffering, prayed
with them and assured them of the action of the Church
The Pope recalled the
reason for his visit; "the 1950th anniversary of the shipwreck of the Apostle Paul
on the shores of the Maltese archipelago, and his nearly three-month stay on those
islands".
"For almost two thousand years, the history of that people has
been inseparable from the Catholic faith, which characterises their culture and traditions.
It is said that there are 365 churches in Malta, 'one for each day of the year', a
visible symbol of this profound faith".
The Pope recalled how in the Grotto
of St. Paul at Rabat, he had participated in "an intense moment of prayer", explaining
that "from Paul's subsequent stay on Malta a fervent and solid Christian community
was born, which two thousand years later is still faithful to the Gospel and seeks
to associate it with the complex questions of the modern age. Naturally, this is not
always easy or automatic, but the Maltese people find answers to the new challenges
in the Christian view of life. One sign of this, for example, is the fact that they
have maintained a profound respect for unborn life and for the sacredness of marriage,
choosing not to introduce abortion or divorce into the country's legal system".
Pope
Benedict XVI spoke of the celebration of the Eucharist in front of the church of St.
Publius, at which the faithful "participated with great enthusiasm".
"It
must not be thought", the Pope went on, that Malta, "because of its geographical position,
is a society 'isolated' from the world". In this context he mentioned the "contacts
Malta maintains with various countries, and the fact that Maltese priests are to be
found in many nations".
"The strategic position of this small archipelago
obviously attracted the attention of various political and military powers. Yet nonetheless,
the most profound vocation of Malta is its Christian vocation; in other words, the
universal vocation of peace. The famous Maltese cross ... has never lost its authentic
and perennial significance; it is the sign of love and reconciliation, and this is
the true vocation of peoples who welcome and embrace the Christian message".
The
Pope highlighted how Malta lies "at the centre of migration routes", something which
"naturally brings problems; complex humanitarian, political and juridical problems,
... the solutions of which are not easy but must be sought with perseverance and tenacity,
harmonising efforts at the international level. This should be done in all nations
that have Christian values at the root of their Constitutional Charters and cultures".
The
final event of the Pope's apostolic trip was his meeting with youth in the port of
Valletta. "I reminded the young people present", he said, "of St. Paul's own youthful
experience: an extraordinary and unique experience, yet one capable of speaking to
new generations from all ages because of that radical transformation which followed
his meeting with the risen Christ. Thus I looked to the young people of Malta as potential
heirs of St. Paul's spiritual adventure, called like him to discover the beauty of
the love of God given us in Jesus Christ; to embrace the mystery of His Cross; to
be victors in trials and tribulations; not to be afraid of the 'storms' of life, not
even the shipwrecks, because God's plan of love is greater even than storm and shipwreck".
Benedict
XVI concluded by calling for "the intercession of the Apostle Paul, of St. Gorg Preca,
priest and the first Maltese saint, and of the Virgin Mary, ... that the faithful
of Malta and Gozo may always grow in peace and prosperity".