NO PLACE IN PRIESTHOOD FOR THOSE WHO WOULD HARM YOUNG

VATICAN CITY, APR 23, 2002 (VIS) - The meeting this morning in the Vatican with Pope John Paul, 12 United States cardinals and a number of members of the Roman Curia began with an opening prayer and a welcome by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state. The president of the United States episcopal conference addressed the meeting, as did the U.S. cardinals.

Pope John Paul then spoke. "I greatly appreciate the effort you are making," he told the American cardinals, "to keep the Holy See, and me personally, informed regarding the complex and difficult situation which has arisen in your country in recent months. ... You have come to the house of the Successor of Peter. ... The door of this house is always open to you. All the more so when your communities are in distress."

"Like you," the Pope continued, "I too have been deeply grieved by the fact that priests and religious, whose vocation it is to help people live holy lives in the sight of God, have themselves caused such suffering and scandal to the young. Because of the great harm done by some priests and religious, the Church herself is viewed with distrust, and many are offended at the way in which the Church's leaders are perceived to have acted in this matter. The abuse which has caused this crisis is by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society; it is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God. To the victims and their families, wherever they may be, I express my profound sense of solidarity and concern."

"It is true," he stated, "that a generalized lack of knowledge of the nature of the problem and also at times the advice of clinical experts led Bishops to make decisions which subsequent events showed to be wrong. You are now working to establish more reliable criteria to ensure that such mistakes are not repeated. ... While recognizing how indispensable these criteria are, we cannot forget the power of Christian conversion. ... Neither should we forget the immense spiritual, human and social good that the vast majority of priests and religious in the United States have done and are still doing."

"A great work of art may be blemished, but its beauty remains; and this is a truth which any intellectually honest critic will recognize." The Pope then expressed his personal "wholehearted" thanks to Catholic communities in the U.S., to teachers in Catholic universities and schools, and to American missionaries in all parts of the world.

"The abuse of the young," John Paul underscored, "is a grave symptom of a crisis affecting not only the Church but society as a whole. It is a deep-seated crisis of sexual morality, even of human relationships, and its prime victims are the family and the young. In addressing the problem of abuse with clarity and determination, the Church will help society to understand and deal with the crisis in its midst."

"It must be absolutely clear to the Catholic faithful, and to the wider community, that Bishops and superiors are concerned, above all else, with the spiritual good of souls. People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young. They must know that Bishops and priests are totally committed to the fullness of Catholic truth on matters of sexual morality."

The Holy Father told those assembled: "We must be confident that this time of trial will bring a purification of the entire Catholic community, a purification that is urgently needed if the Church is to preach more effectively the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its liberating force."

"God alone is the source of holiness," declared the Pope. "It is to him above all that we must turn for forgiveness, for healing and for the grace to meet this challenge with uncompromising courage and harmony of purpose."

The Holy Father concluded; "I beg the Lord to give the Bishops of the United States the strength to build their response to the present crisis upon the solid foundations of faith and upon genuine pastoral charity for the victims, as well as for the priests and the entire Catholic community in your country. And I ask Catholics to stay close to their priests and Bishops, and to support them with their prayers at this difficult time."

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