 |
PREFECT OF
THE CONGREGATION FOR BISHOPS
HOMILY FOR
THE PENITENTIAL VIGIL
ON THE
OCCASION OF THE SYMPOSIUM
"TOWARDS
HEALING AND RENEWAL
My venerable brother bishops and
priests and my dear brothers and sisters,
In the context of the reflection
that is taking place during these days of the Symposium "
Towards Healing and Renewal", we remind ourselves that we are here this
evening not only as believers, but also as penitents.
The tragedy of the sexual abuse
of minors perpetrated by Christians, especially when done so by members of the
clergy, is a source of great shame and enormous scandal. It is a sin against
which Jesus himself lashed out: "It would be better for him if a millstone
were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause
one of these little ones to stumble" (Lk. 17:2). Abuse is a crime, in
fact, which causes an authentic experience of death for the innocent victims,
whom God alone can truly raise to new life in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, with profound conviction and awareness of what we do, we turn to and
implore the Lord.
1 2
This gesture of purification
involves the entire Church, and each one of us - Bishops, Religious Superiors,
educators, all Christians - feels the pain of what has occurred. We ask that
the Spirit of God, who heals and radically renews all things, come down upon
us.
As members of the Church, we must
have the courage to ask humbly for God’s pardon, as well as for the forgiveness
of His "little ones" who have been wounded; we must remain close to
them on their road of suffering, seeking in every possible way to heal and bind
up their wounds following the example of the Good Samaritan. The first step on
this road is to listen to them carefully and to believe their painful stories.
The road of renewal for the
Church, who will continue to educate people and establish proper structures to
help prevent similar crimes, must include the sentiment of "never
again". As Blessed John Paul II said, "there is no place in the
priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young" (
Address of Blessed Pope John Paul
II to the Cardinals of the United States, April 23, 2002, n. 3). It is intolerable that the abuse of children
would take place within the Church. Never again!
Sadly, we observe all too well
that the sexual abuse of children is found throughout modern society. It is our
profound hope that the Church’s commitment to address this great evil will
foster renewal among other communities and agencies in society who have been
affected by this tragedy.
In this new path, we Christians should
be aware that only faith can guarantee an authentic work of renewal in the
Church: faith understood as personal, as a true and life-giving relationship of
love with Jesus Christ. Mindful of our own lack of living faith, we ask the
Lord Jesus to restore us all and to lead us through the agony of the cross
towards the joy of the resurrection.
3
Sometimes the violence was
committed by deeply disturbed persons or by those who had themselves been
abused. It was necessary to take action concerning them and to prevent them
from continuing any form of ministry for which they were obviously not
suitable. This was not always done properly and, once again, we apologize to
the victims.
The Shepherds of the Church,
having learned from this terrible and humiliating experience, have a grave duty
to take responsibility in the discernment and acceptance of candidates who seek
to serve within the Church, most especially those seeking ordained ministry.
Still shocked by these sad
occurrences, we hope that this Vigil liturgy helps us to view the horrible sins
that took place among the People of God in the light of salvation history, a
story which we have retraced together here tonight. It is a story that speaks
of our misery, of our repeated failures, but most of all of God’s infinite
mercy, of which we are always in need.
And so we entrust ourselves
entirely to the powerful intercession of the Son of God, who "emptied
himself" (Phil. 2:7) in the mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption, and
who has taken upon himself every evil, even this evil, destroying its power so
that it would not have the last word.
The Risen Christ, in fact, is the
guarantee and the promise that life triumphs over death; He is capable of
bringing salvation to each person.
As we continue with our prayer
service, we pray, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, for a more profound
appreciation of our respective vocations, so as to rediscover the roots of our
faith in Jesus Christ and to drink deeply from the springs of living water
4
that he offers us through his
Church (cf.
Pastoral Letter of Pope Benedict
XVI to the Catholics of Ireland).
May the Holy Spirit, the Lord and
Giver of life, who is always at work in the world, descend and help us through
the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, whose powerful
intercession sustains and guides us to be obedient and receptive to divine
love. Amen!
Marc Cardinal Ouellet
PREFECT OF THE CONGREGATION FOR BISHOPS
SOURCE: CCCB.CA
Comments