Pontiff Addresses Issue of Clerical Sex Abuse in New Papal Document

By Paddy Agnew
Irish Times
January 4, 2014

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/pontiff-addresses-issue-of-clerical-sex-abuse-in-new-papal-document-1.1643995

Pope Francis as he emerges from the door of the Jesus church in Rome yesterday. The Pontiff called on the religious orders to be “real witnesses of a world doing and acting differently” in a meeting with 120 leaders of male religious orders last November. Photograph: Angelo Carconi/Epa

We are all sinners, but we are not all corrupt, according to Pope Francis. That observation, made in relation to clerical sex abuse, is just one of many made in yet another intriguing papal document.

In effect, Pope Francis appears to argue that formation for the priesthood must involve some sort of screening if young men with paedophile tendencies are to be excluded.

The new document is an account of a closed-doors, three-hour meeting with 120 leaders of male religious orders last November.

At the time, the Vatican press office issued a limited report, but yesterday’s edition of the Italian Jesuit magazine La Civilta Cattolica provided more detail. Theologian Antonio Spadaro, the magazine’s editor and the man who interviewed the pope last year, reports: “Finally, Pope Francis wanted to highlight a further risk . . . ‘Accepting a young man in a seminary who has been asked to leave a religious institute because of problems with formation and for serious reasons is a huge problem. I am not speaking about people who recognise that they are sinners: we are all sinners but we are not all corrupt’.”

Here the pope recalled Benedict XVI’s decision in dealing with abuse cases: “This should be a lesson to us to approach personal formation as a serious challenge, always keeping in mind the People of God.”

Fr Spadaro describes the surprised reaction of his colleagues when Pope Francis, rather than addressing a few formal words and then moving on to his next engagement, opted instead for an open house, question and answer session with the order leaders. Pointing out that “life is cruel” and that “a life without conflict is not life”, the Pope called on the religious orders to be “real witnesses of a world doing and acting differently”.

The need for priests to minister “at the periphery”, and advice on the influx of African and Asian vocations were among the topics dealt with by Pope Francis at the meeting.