THE CHURCH ASKS PARDON FOR THE SINS OF HER CHILDREN

VATICAN CITY, SEP 1, 1999 (VIS) - The theme of this morning's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall, was: "The Church asks pardon for the sins of her children".

The Pope said that the Church is aware that "only in a continual purification of her members and institutions can (she) offer the world a coherent witness of the Lord. ... The recognition of the communal implications of sin impels the Church to ask pardon for the 'historic' sins of her children". For this reason, the Pope continued, the Jubilee of the year 2000 "aims to turn over a new page in history, overcoming the obstacles that still divide human beings, and Christians in particular".

"The recognition of historic sins presupposes taking up a certain position with respect to the events, just as they really happened," taking into account the "cultural context" of the times.

John Paul II confirmed that "the Church feels the need to recognize the sins of her own members, when they have been proved by serious historical research, and to request pardon for them from God and man." This attitude does not represent a denial of the Church's "merits in the fields of charity, culture and sanctity, rather it is a response to an inexorable need for truth".

"The approach of the Jubilee draws attention to some types of sin, past and present, for which it is particularly necessary to invoke the mercy of the Father. I am thinking especially of the painful division between Christians, ... of the use of intolerance and even of violence in the service of truth, ... of some Christians' lack of discernment with respect to situations that violate fundamental human rights".

The Holy Father concluded by highlighting that "the penitential stance of the Church in our time ... draws attention to the past and to the recognition of sins in order that this may serve as a lesson for a purer witness in the future".

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