Gregorian University to host conference on 'Healing and Renewal' from sex abuse
Representatives of 100 bishops’ conferences and 30 religious orders meet in Rome next
week to launch a global initiative aimed at improving efforts to address the clerical
sex abuse crisis. The initiative is to be presented at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian
University during the course of a four day conference entitled ‘Towards Healing and
Renewal’, supported by the Vatican Secretariat of State and Curial offices. Philippa
Hitchen went along to the press conference on Friday evening to find out more…..
Listen:
After almost
two years of preparation, this closed door conference describes itself as a symposium
for Catholic bishops and religious superiors on how to deal with the devastating effects
of sex abuse. It’s the first time that representatives of 100 bishops conferences,
plus over 30 religious congregations have come together to hear first hand from victims
and to try and promote a consistent response of the church to this ‘open wound’ as
it’s often called. All participants have been urged to meet with victims in their
own countries and listen to their stories to have a clear understanding of what healing
and renewal might been to survivors who in many cases lived for decades without any
recognition of the abuses they suffered. One Irish survivor, Marie Collins will
address the participants about her own need to hear not just the abuser priests ask
forgiveness – something she has already grated to her own abuser – but to hear church
leaders – priests, bishops and cardinals, own up to their own roles in prolonging
the suffering by putting the reputation of the church above the needs of the children
in their care. A central moment of the conference will come on Tuesday evening
as seven different groups of people within the church acknowledge their responsibilities
and ask forgiveness from the victims. Another key moment will be the launch towards
the end of the meeting of an E-learning centre, based in Munich, which will try to
bring together the experiences and best practises from different countries in dealing
with abuse, making it available to churches in countries around the world. There
will be a message from Pope Benedict to the conference and the papal spokesman Fr
Federico Lombardi told journalists he’s encouraged that this meeting does mark a broadening
of horizons – especially to those countries and cultures which have yet to face up
to this problem – and that it will mark a very concrete step forward by the whole
church.