Child sexual abuse is a “test” for the Church and its ability to "give answers" and, more generally, for its "credibility". As the meeting that the Pope convened in Rome with the presidents of the Episcopal Conferences of the whole world (21-24 February) approaches, Father Federico Lombardi, who will moderate the plenary sessions and was received by the Pope today, outlines the horizons in which to place the event, specifying that "there are steps to be taken" on the issue of negligent pastors, and expresses the hope that "by meeting together, the bishops will feel encouraged" to address and prevent this problem "without fear".

 

"We must deal this theme with depth and without fear. I feel it a bit like a serious test on our ability – that of the Church and of society - to response to serious issues such as "violence, abuse, lack of respect for the dignity of others", because "if we do not commit ourselves to fight to the end these evils, these crimes - both in society and in the Church - we fail in our duty," the Jesuit said in a meeting organized at the headquarters of the Foreign Press.

 

"As a man of Church, priest and religious, I am absolutely convinced that our credibility is strongly at stake in this field and that through credibility we can recover authority for our service in society as educators and people who have the ability to help other people. It is therefore necessary, "starting from these very serious cases, to go back to the roots and show the ability to react, for a profound recovery", which not only touches on "organizational and procedural issues", but is "a test on the depth of the reform" and reflects "how we live our mission, with what coherence and how we manage to convert our attitudes, having compassion for those who suffer and giving support to the children’s dignity". Father Lombardi acknowledged that in the Church and in individuals there have been and still are "resistances", but he stressed that "we have come a long way" and that "we are paying a very heavy price for past cover-ups". There will always be resistance "but there is an arrow pointing towards the right direction, and we must help it to fly higher".

 

The former Vatican spokesman then returned to the expectations surrounding the meeting due the end of February, which the Pope himself wanted to temper, explaining that one should not play "the game of saying "the meeting must do this and that" and if it doesn't happen then say "it failed"", and though "it's right to have great expectations from the Church, yet one must also have proportionate expectations to an event lasting three and a half days" only. In particular, "if one arrives at a sense of common responsibility, if the bishops return home knowing that procedures exist and must be applied, knowing that bishops with more resources can actually help them, knowing that the commission for minors can organize task forces to help the local Churches: then these are realistic and important expectations. I'm not saying that we should tone down expectations regarding where we need to go, but we can't think of achieving everything at this stage of the journey".

 

In particular, Father Lombardi, when asked by journalists, spoke about those negligent bishops, whom the Pope addressed "Like a loving mother" in his motu proprio: "I - he explained - am convinced that there are steps to be taken. I think that document is an important first step, an explicit step in the right direction, then it must actually be put into practice, and I am convinced that this meeting can give an impulse in that direction". As for the long-standing issue regarding the obligation to report to civil authorities: "It is right that this subject should be dealt with in this meeting", the Jesuit said. For Lombardi, moreover, "it would certainly be useful and important to be able to give an idea of the statistical trends" of the abuses during the summit.

 

Father Lombardi recalled that some victims will also participate in the meeting, with their testimonies, and how the "pressing" request to the presidents of the national episcopal conferences to meet victims from their countries before the Rome summit, was a way of making the bishops more responsible. The former Vatican spokesman insisted on various degrees of awareness among different countries over the issue of abuse, and on the need for the February summit to raise awareness among the less prepared episcopates: "Obviously, it would be strange if a US bishop did not yet realized the problem, but those who come from a poor country in a state of war and with a small Catholic community live in a different situation".

 

Ten women, representing the female religious orders, as well as two official women of the Vatican and a number of female victims, will participate in the meeting. The Vatican Press Office, represented at the meeting at the Foreign Press by the ad interim director Alessandro Gisotti, is preparing an "extensive documentation". On 18 February at 11.30 a press conference will be held, and every day there will be a briefing. The Pope will give a closing speech on Sunday, "then of course there will be follow ups on the subject: the bishops will return home, they will have to put into practice what they have learned, the organizers will take stock".

 

"We should not expect documents so much, but a coordinated response to the needs that have emerged to help the community of the Church to walk in the right direction", said Lombardi, who concluded by expressing two hopes: that "meeting together, the bishops will feel encouraged" to address and prevent this problem and that they will act "without fear" keeping in mind that the attention and pressure that accompanies the summit is a sign of the trust that the faithful have in them for the good of the Church".

 

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