Vatican City, 28 September 2015 (VIS) –
The final day of the Pope's apostolic trip began yesterday with his
meeting at the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary with victims of sexual
abuse perpetrated when they were minors by members of the clergy, or
members of their families or teachers. The group was composed of five
adults – 3 women and 2 men – accompanied by Cardinal Sean Patrick
O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and president of the Commission for
the Protection of Minors, instituted by the Pope, Archbishop Charles
Chaput of Philadelphia, and Bishop Michael Joseph Fitzgerald, head of
the diocesan office for the protection of minors in the same diocese.
During the meeting, which lasted half
an hour, Francis listened to their accounts of their experiences,
addressed them as a group and then greeted each one individually. He
prayed with them and manifested his participation in their suffering,
his pain and his shame for the harm caused by members of the clergy
or ecclesiastical collaborators.
“Thank you for corning here today”,
he said. “Words cannot fully express my sorrow for the abuse you
suffered. You are precious children of God who should always expect
our protection, our care and our love. I am profoundly sorry that
your innocence was violated by those who you trusted. In some cases
the trust was betrayed by members of your own family, in other cases
by priests who carry a sacred responsibility for the care of soul. In
all circumstances, the betrayal was a terrible violation of human
dignity.
“For those who were abused by a
member of the clergy, I am deeply sorry for the times when you or
your family spoke out, to report the abuse, but you were not heard or
believed. Please know that the Holy Father hears you and believes
you. I deeply regret that some bishops failed in their responsibility
to protect children. It is very disturbing to know that in some cases
bishops even were abusers. I pledge to you that we will follow the
path of truth wherever it may lead. Clergy and bishops will be held
accountable when they abuse or fail to protect children.
“We are gathered here in Philadelphia
to celebrate God's gift of family life. Within our family of faith
and our human families, the sins and crimes of sexual abuse of
children must no longer be held in secret and in shame. As we
anticipate the Jubilee Year of Mercy, your presence, so generously
given despite the anger and pain you have experienced, reveals the
merciful heart of Christ. Your stories of survival, each unique and
compelling, are powerful signs of the hope that comes from the Lord's
promise to be with us always.
“It is good to know that you have
brought family members and friends with you today. I am grateful for
their compassionate support and pray that many people of the Church
will respond to the call to accompany those who have suffered abuse.
May the Door of Mercy be opened wide in our dioceses, our parishes,
our homes and our hearts, to receive those who were abused and to
seek the path to forgiveness by trusting in the Lord. We promise to
support your continued healing and to always be vigilant to protect
the children of today and tomorrow.
“When the disciples who walked with
Jesus on the road to Emmaus recognised that He was the Risen Lord,
they asked Jesus to stay with them. Like those disciples, I humbly
beg you and all survivors of abuse to stay with us, to stay with the
Church, and that together, as pilgrims on the journey of faith, we
might find our way to the Father”.
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