Vatican City, May 15, 2018 / 02:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- This week 34 Chilean bishops are meeting with Pope Francis to discuss the country’s clerical sexual abuse scandal, which involves at least one of the bishops attending the meeting. The meeting is significant, but not unprecedented.
Francis summoned Chile’s bishops to Rome in an April 8 letter admitting he had made “serious mistakes” in judgment of the nation’s abuse crisis, and which was a follow-up to the results of an in-depth investigation into accusations of abuse cover-up carried out by Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s top prosecutor on clerical abuse.
In April 2002, Pope St. John Paul II called 13 U.S. cardinals and bishops to discuss a large-scale clerical sexual abuse crisis. Benedict XVI followed suit when the abuse crisis in Ireland came to light in 2009, inviting high-ranking Irish prelates and members of the Roman Curia to meet at the Vatican in February 2010.
It is practically unheard of, at least in recent history, that the pope would summon an entire bishops conference – or even the leading bishops and cardinals of a country – to Rome for a previously unplanned emergency visit. But sexual abuse, and cover-ups within ecclesial environments, seems to have merited that treatment more than other issues.
While John Paul was the first of the three most recent popes to make such a drastic request, Vatican observers say that a letter sent by Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland in March 2010 set the tone for the Vatican’s approach to sexual abuse crises around the world.
The letter, which was published after Benedict met with Irish prelates, is still widely read, taught, and referenced as a clear example of how the Vatican should respond to instance of abuse and cover-up.
According to veteran Vatican journalist John Allen, when the American bishops came to the Vatican in April 2002 to discuss the abuse crisis exploding in the U.S., the final results of the meeting were a mixed bag.
On one hand, John Paul II’s declaration that “people need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young” empowered American bishops to develop the June 2002 “Dallas Charter,” which set national standards in place for the prevention and reporting of child abuse.
On the other hand, Allen says, the documents outlining resolutions made by US bishops and the Vatican going into the future were rushed, and were considered by most in both the U.S. and Vatican delegations to be an inaccurate account of the discussion, and the plans that had been made.
In all, it would seem that the Vatican communiques following the meeting were a missed opportunity for the Church to send a strong, unified message to the world on the issue of clerical abuse.
However, Benedict XVI, who was present for the meeting with U.S. bishops in his capacity as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, got a first-hand account of the scope of the problem, the failures that allowed the abuse, the steps that needed to be taken in the future, and the damages done to individuals and to the credibility of the Church in an entire nation.
He likely drew from the experience when dealing with Ireland’s abuse scandal in 2009, and his insights seemed to guide his own discussion with Irish prelates, his handling of the conclusions of their meeting, and his 2010 letter to Irish Catholics.
During a May 14 press conference ahead of the meeting with Pope Francis to discuss their own country’s abuse crisis, Chilean bishops Fernando Ramos and Juan Ignacio González said they and their brother bishops had recently read Benedict’s 2010, and that it provides essential guidelines for them to follow in their own country.
In the letter, Benedict addressed Catholics in Ireland not only with the concern of a father, but also “with the affection of a fellow Christian, scandalized and hurt by what has occurred in our beloved Church.”
He divided the letter into sections addressed to particular groups of people, including victims and their families, parents, priests and religious guilty of abusing children, children and youth from Ireland, priests and religious from Ireland, Irish bishops themselves, and Irish Catholics on the whole.
Benedict apologized to victims, saying that nothing could undo the wrongs they had endured, and that it was understandable if they were unable to forgive and reconcile with the Church.
“In her name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel. At the same time, I ask you not to lose hope,” he said.
Among other things, Benedict urged greater formation on the issue of abuse for priests and religious, which was echoed by the Chilean bishops during their press conference.
He also highlighted several factors he said were causes in the abuse crisis. In addition to a rapidly changing and secularized cultural landscape, he said the procedures for finding suitable candidates for the priesthood and religious life were “inadequate,” and cited “insufficient human, moral, intellectual and spiritual formation in seminaries and novitiates” as one of the causes of institutional failure.
Also a problem, he said, was clericalism and an exaggerated respect for those in authority, as well as a “misplaced concern for the reputation of the Church and the avoidance of scandal, resulting in failure to apply existing canonical penalties and to safeguard the dignity of every person.”
In terms of concrete action, Benedict proposed a number of concrete initiatives, the first of which was to do penance.
He asked Ireland’s bishops to dedicate Lent of that year, 2010, as a time “to pray for an outpouring of God’s mercy and the Holy Spirit’s gifts of holiness and strength upon the Church in your country.”
Benedict also asked that Irish Catholics offer their Friday penances for that intention for a year – from Lent 2010 to Easter 2011 – requesting that they offer their regular prayer, fasting and acts of charity for healing and renewal for the Church of Ireland, and that they go to confession more frequently.
He said special attention ought to be paid to Eucharistic adoration, especially in parishes, seminaries, religious houses and monasteries in order to “make reparation for the sins of abuse that have done so much harm” and to ask for the grace of a renewed sense of their mission.
Benedict also announced that he would carry out an apostolic visitation to certain dioceses, seminaries and religious congregations and said he would implement a mission for bishops, priests and religious from Ireland.
The hope for the mission, he said, was that by access to holy preachers and with a careful rereading of conciliar documents, liturgical rites of ordination and recent pontifical teachings, consecrated persons would “come to a more profound appreciation of your respective vocations, so as to rediscover the roots of your faith in Jesus Christ and to drink deeply from the springs of living water that he offers you through his Church.”
During the press conference Monday with Chilean bishops, Ramos and González called Benedict’s letter “a precious and beautiful text full of guidelines that we will follow or are following.”
They also made comments reminiscent of the sentiments voiced by Benedict XVI, saying they are coming into the meeting this week with “shame and pain,” but they also voiced hope that the discussion will be a fresh start for the bishops, and will provide a decisive direction going forward.
However, while they have Benedict’s guidelines in mind, the bishops said that as far as this week goes, they are in Rome at the beckoning of Pope Francis, and their task “is to listen to Peter, to listen to the pope.”
“Conclusions will come, new paths will come out,” González said, adding that “the pope gives us light” indicating the path to be taken.
Meetings between Pope Francis and the Chilean bishops began early in the afternoon Monday, and will continue through Thursday, May 17. Unlike the 2002 meeting, the Vatican has already said there will be no communique or press release after the meeting, in order to keep the discussion confidential.
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This appears good. I presume Leo knows Hicks and has a good sense of his character and abilities.
This appears disappointing. Another capitulation to the sexual depravity agenda given his support for special gay Masses. Yes, Leo probably does know his soft on doctrine character.
He is solidly pro-life, is friendly to the Vetus Ordo, and has regularly offered communion on the tongue. I respect Leo and will trust his judgment until there’s good reason to think otherwise.
He held a Mass that was supposed to be welcoming to the gay and lesbian community. Are they not welcome in the Church?
We are all welcome, but with that welcome comes the expectation that we follow Church teaching & obey the rules.
Everyone is welcome, but any implicit endorsement of a committed, often defiant sinful way of life without repentance is not.
Another Chicago boy? Is he Cubs or White Sox?
Cubs.
“He returned to Chicago in 2010 to serve as dean of formation at Mundelein Seminary before Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago appointed him vicar general of the archdiocese on Jan. 1, 2015.”
Uh huh.
Bishop Barron, the evangelist/communicator extraordinaire, lodged in the middle of nowhere, 1100 miles from the communication capital of the world.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. They did the same thing to no less than Venerable Fulton Sheen by shipping him off to Rochester, NY. It starts to look more like a badge of honor than anything else. But at least I read some good things about Bishop Hicks and the TLM, which is encouraging.
The similarity did not escape me either. And we need pray that the injustice of depriving us of Archbishop Sheen’s beatification be very soon rectified.
As a resident of “nowhere” I am happy to have him here.
I went to college in the middle of nowhere about 200 miles north of you. It is, albeit frigid this time of year, is very beautiful.
And you are blessed as well to have Bishop Barron for your temporal shepherd.
Bishop Barron and Father Schmitz have robust ministries reaching the world from Minnesota. Bishop Hicks in Mamdani’s New York: If Hicks is a true shepherd in persona Christi, he will find numerous lost sheep and hell fire. I hope he has the spiritual strength to carry the crosses ahead of him.
It is good to see name of Bishop Barron! Outstanding intellect and servant of Christ.
Perhaps the Pope feels Bp Barron can effectively reach more people for Christ through his ministry, no matter where it’s based, (as you indicated by your description of his ministsry despite it’s physical base) than he would by being Archbishop of one of the largest dioeceses in the US, which also would limit his time and availability to continue his most powerful ministry…
I pray for his ministry as shepherd for the good Catholics of the NY Archdiocese.
Bishop Barron could’ve gone to NY, it is true, but perhaps a return to Chicago will be better, for he has styled himself as straight down the middle, neither a liberal nor a conservative, though I’ve always leaned on Chesterton’s reminder that the Catholic doesn’t follow the Via Media. Midwest HQ, Chicago needs episcopal leadership and Cupich will turn 77 March 19th. Dolan hits 76 February 6th. Let’s be fair, meet and just.
Hmmmm…Leo and Cupich are quite speedily showing Cardinal Dolan the door even though he only turned 75 earlier this year. It’s called getting “Chaputed”! They’re not on the ” team” (and I’m not referring to a baseball team), so they’re quickly out. “Team” members are left in place till they’re 80.
Cardinal Dolan, whatever his shortcomings, didn’t support the takeover of the USCCB a few years ago by Cupuch, McElroy, and Newark Tobin. He didn’t bravely speak up at the time like Chaput did, but still yet he didn’t support the “team”.
So the “team” shifted their focus from being the day to day team manager to being the General Manager – selecting the players who get to be on the team as opposed to picking daily lineups and choosing what reliever to bring in in the 8th.
So General Manager Cupich had himself installed by his like-minded souls in the Vatican as the gatekeeper of who exactly will be in the seats in the future at those Baltimore USCCB meetings.
So now we have McElroy taking over DC and another Cupich acolyte taking over NYC, Cupich in Chicago, Tobin in Newark, etc, etc.
Everything appears to be rolling along smoothly for the “team” to take the Pennant!
“Everything appears to be rolling along smoothly for the “team” to take the Pennant!”
Except that (1) they’re running out of managers and coaches who’ll go by the general manager’s playbook and (2) the players (priests) are hardly on board with the playbook either. We’re setting up for the possibility of major conflict between the old guard and the new guard. Apart from that, I too note with concern the relatively rapid acceptance of Cardinal Dolan’s resignation while Cupich’s sits on the Pope’s desk.
May God bless him, and may he keep humble, holy, and be a good shepherd.
Amen.
Sounds like another minion of Cardinal Cupich. Probably not a good sign of things to come.
Could be, but over at The Pillar we also read that Bishop Hicks is a good administrator, was close to Cardinal Francis George, and that the Archdiocese of New York needs a kick-start since it boasts only 18 seminarians out of a Catholic population of 2.5 million.
My hope is that Bishop Hicks remembers those “seven counties to the north” (as you described us but we do have names) and not only attends to NYC area. Under Cardinal Dolan, the ONLY Catholic school in Sullivan County was closed. This school was significant in the community as it provided not only a good education to the children but also a safe, affordable preschool for families. Sullivan is a poor county. Parishes in the outer areas of the county are being closed even though they were financially okay and the distance to a church is now too far for many Catholics. In my home county of Orange, parishes are being closed while we are funding non Catholic children in NYC Catholic schools. My husband and I stopped contributing (and we were generous in the thousands of dollars) to the NY Cardinal’s Appeal because the money has been NYC area centered.
From what I can tell, it seems like he won’t differ from Cardinal Dolan in any substantive way. He seems to be in the “conservative” two-thirds of American episcopate, while clearly adhering to the dreary USCCB/Vatican agenda on the politcal issues like immigration and climate change. He doesn’t have an aversion to The Latin Mass, but probably won’t do much to promote it. He’ll say the right things on abortion and perverted sex, but probably won’t discipline lay or clerical dissenters, like the notorious Jesuit who operates in the Archdiocese of New York.
He’ll also start out $300M poorer as a result of the sex abuse settlement just announced. Who knows where all that money will be going and how much of it is justified. Plenty of scammers and their lawyers likely will get a juicy windfall while a smaller number of genuine victims will get nothing, if everything holds true to form.
I am not only Disappointed but also deeply saddened by the Negative Energy disposed by many commentators political views towards Your new Archbishop. Not being disparaging, but I truly Believe in the Power of Prayer and for me I offer uplifting Blessings from God to Help each of you to discern your discontent . All Praise, Glory and Honor to the Lord our God. May His Peace be always upon us . Amen Sweet Jesus !!!