SEX ABUSE: SOLIDARITY WITH VICTIMS, SEVERITY WITH OFFENDERS

VATICAN CITY, APR 25, 2002 (VIS) - At the end of the April 23-24 meeting in the Vatican with 12 cardinals from the United States, the presidency of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the U.S., and a number of officials of the Roman Curia, a press conference was held in the Holy See Press Office. Pope John Paul had received the working group the morning of April 23 and he invited the American prelates to lunch yesterday to continue discussing the issues at hand.

Participants in the press conference included Cardinal James Stafford, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. episcopal conference, and Press Office Director, Joaquin Navarro-Valls. At the start of the conference at 10 p.m., a three-page final communique, written in English, was released. Following are excerpts:

"The meeting was called with three goals in mind:
- on the part of the American Bishops, to inform the Holy See about the difficulties which they have faced in recent months,
- on the part of the Roman Dicasteries, to hear directly from the American Cardinals and the chief officials of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops a general evaluation of the situation,
- and together to develop ways to move forward in addressing these issues."

"The participants first of all wish to express their unanimous gratitude to the Holy Father for his clear indications of direction and commitment for the future. In communion with the Pope they reaffirm certain basic principles:

"1) The sexual abuse of minors is rightly considered a crime by society and is an appalling sin in the eyes of God, above all when it is perpetrated by priests and religious whose vocation is to help persons to lead holy lives before God and men.

"2) There is a need to convey to the victims and their families a profound sense of solidarity and to provide appropriate assistance in recovering faith and receiving pastoral care.

"3) Even if the cases of true pedophilia on the part of priests and religious are few, all the participants recognized the gravity of the problem. In the meeting, the quantitative terms of the problem were discussed, since the statistics are not very clear in this regard. Attention was drawn to the fact that almost all the cases involved adolescents and therefore were not cases of true pedophilia.

"4) Together with the fact that a link between celibacy and pedophilia cannot be scientifically maintained, the meeting reaffirmed the value of priestly celibacy as a gift of God to the Church.

"5) Given the doctrinal issues underlying the deplorable behavior in question, certain lines of response have been proposed:

"a) the Pastors of the Church need clearly to promote the correct moral teaching of the Church and publicly to reprimand individuals who spread dissent and groups which advance ambiguous approaches to pastoral care;

"b) a new and serious Apostolic Visitation of seminaries and other institutes of formation must be made without delay, with particular emphasis on the need for fidelity to the Church's teaching, especially in the area of morality, and the need for a deeper study of the criteria of suitability of candidates to the priesthood.

"c) it would be fitting for the Bishops of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to ask the faithful to join them in observing a national day of prayer and penance, in reparation for the offenses perpetrated and in prayer to God for the conversion of sinners and the reconciliation of victims.

"6) All the participants ... see the present time as a moment of grace. ... We cannot underestimate, in the words of the Holy Father, 'the power of Christian conversion, that radical decision to turn away from sin and back to God,' ... At the same time, as His Holiness also stated, 'People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young."

"Again in the Holy Father's words, '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'."

"As part of the preparation for the June meeting of the American Bishops, the United States participants in the Rome meeting presented to the Prefects of the Roman Congregations the following proposals:

"1) We propose to send the respective Congregations of the Holy See a set of national standards which the Holy See will properly review ('recognitio'), in which essential elements for policies dealing with the sexual abuse of minors in Dioceses and Religious Institutes in the United States are set forth.

"2) We will propose that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recommend a special process for the dismissal from the clerical state of a priest who has become notorious and is guilty of the serial, predatory, sexual abuse of minors.

"3) While recognizing that the Code of Canon law already contains a judicial process for the dismissal of priests guilty of sexually abusing minors, we will also propose a special process for cases which are not notorious but where the Diocesan Bishop considers the priest a threat for the protection of children and young people, in order to avoid grave scandal in the future and to safeguard the common good of the Church.

"4) We will propose an Apostolic Visitation of seminaries and religious houses of formation, giving special attention to their admission requirements and the need for them to teach Catholic moral doctrine in its integrity.

"5) We will propose that the Bishops of the United States make every effort to implement the challenge of the Holy Father that the present crisis 'must lead to a holier priesthood, a holier episcopate, and a holier Church'."

"6) We propose that the Bishops of the United States set aside a day for prayer and penance throughout the Church in the United States, in order to implore reconciliation and the renewal of ecclesial life."

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SYMPOSIUM OF EUROPEAN BISHOPS: YOUTH IN A CHANGING EUROPE

VATICAN CITY, APR 25, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in audience participants in the 10th Symposium of European Bishops which is taking place in Rome and was organized by the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe, whose president is Bishop Amedee Grab.

After recalling that the theme of the symposium is "Youth of a Changing Europe. Laboratory of Faith," the Pope indicated that "in the face of the void of values and deep existential questions that speak to today's society, we must proclaim and bear witness that Christ has taken on Himself the questions, the hopes and even the dramas of humanity of all times."

"There is great urgency," he continued, "for Europe to encounter this God Who loves man and is present in all human trials and difficulties. For this reason, it is indispensable that believers are willing to bear witness to their faith with their life."

John Paul II urged the young people present to follow Christ "faithfully with enthusiasm and perseverance. Don't allow him to be marginalized. The Gospel is indispensable in order to renew our culture; it is indispensable to construct a future of true peace in Europe and the world. Beloved young people, this contribution is up to you. Don't hesitate, therefore, to say yes to God who calls you."

AC;...;...;EUROPEAN BISHOPS;VIS;20020425;Word: 220;

MESSAGE TO THE PRIESTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

VATICAN CITY, APR 25, 2002 (VIS) - Following are excerpts from the Message released last night by the American cardinals and the presidency of Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States to the priests in their country:

"We, the Cardinals of the United States and the Presidency of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, gathered with our brother Cardinals of the Roman Curia around the Successor of Peter, wish to speak a special word to you, our brother priests who give yourselves so generously from day to day in service of God's people.

"At our meeting, you have been very much in our minds and hearts, for we know the heavy burden of sorrow and shame that you are bearing because some have betrayed the grace of Ordination by abusing those entrusted to their care.

"We regret that episcopal oversight has not been able to preserve the Church from this scandal. The entire Church, the Bride of Christ, is afflicted by this wound - the victims and their families first of all, but also you who have dedicated your lives to "the priestly service of the Gospel of God" (Rom 15:16).

"To all of you we express our deep gratitude for all that you do to build up the Body of Christ in holiness and love. We pledge to support you in every possible way through these troubled times, and we ask that you stay close to us in the bond of the priesthood as we make every effort to bring the healing grace of Christ to the people whom we serve.

"We are in complete harmony with the Holy Father when he said in his Address yesterday: "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."

"As we look to the future, let us together beg the eternal High Priest for the grace to live this time of trial with courage and confidence in the Crucified Lord. ... From the house of the Successor of Peter, who has confirmed us in our faith, we wish in turn to confirm you in the humble and exalted service of the Catholic priesthood to which we have been called. Peace be with you!"

...;MESSAGE PRIESTS USA;...;...;VIS;20020425;Word: 390;

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 25, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Sees, France, presented by Bishop Yves-Marie Guy Dubigeon, in conformity with canon 401, para. 2, of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Jean-Claude Boulanger of the same diocese.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Inchon, Korea, presented by Bishop William J. McNaughton, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Boniface Choi Ki-san of the same diocese.

NER;...;...;DUBIGEON; MCNAUGHTON;VIS;20020425;Word: 100;

HOLY FATHER GREETS PILGRIMS FROM NAPLES, GENOA AND TURIN

VATICAN CITY, APR 25, 2002 (VIS) - In the Paul VI Hall this morning the Pope welcomed 4,000 Italian pilgrims, including a group of lay ministers from the diocese of Naples, representatives of the Salesian Work of Genoa-Sampierdarena, celebrating its 130th anniversary, and "The Students of Heaven," a community of young singers from Turin.

He thanked the lay leaders from Naples for their service to the Church, remarking that in their work they are "collaborators of the priest, but above all, servants of Jesus. I invite you, therefore, to cultivate an intimate friendship with Him, recognizing in Him a true friend Who is always at your side, in good times and difficult ones."

John Paul II, in remarks to the pilgrims from Genoa, reminded them that it was precisely from Sampierdarena that "the first (Salesian) missionaries left, with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, for the Americas. ... Think of the apostolic ardor of these intrepid evangelizers and work so that the Sampierdarena Institute continues to be a window open wide to the world."

Addressing the young singers from Turin, the Pope observed that they, "for many years have been committed to witnessing to the Gospel of life with the universal language of song and music." He told them "to communicate to all whom you meet a message of hope, proposing always the authentic Gospel vision of reality."

AC;ITALIAN PILGRIMS;...;...;VIS;20020425;Word: 240;