PANAMA CITY (PANAMA)
Catholic News Service
January 24, 2019
By Rhina Guidos
As Pope Francis was arriving in Panama Jan. 23, bishops from the United States wasted no time addressing the sex abuse scandal back home during a popular event aimed at American and other English-speaking World Youth Day pilgrims.
“It’s not easy being Christian, it’s not easy being Catholic … especially today when things in the church are difficult,” said Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas, addressing the sex abuse scandal in a room of hundreds of U.S. young adults attending the FIAT Festival for U.S. pilgrims at Panama’s Figali Convention Center. The event was sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Knights of Columbus and FOCUS.
“How often do we hear our friends say to us: I’m done, I’m bowing out. I will have no more of this, ” Bishop Burns said. “My friends, I want you to tell your friends that you’d never separate yourself from Jesus because of Judas. You’d never do that!”
Many in the room applauded.
“Yes, you look at the church today,” he continued, “and there have been some who have betrayed us, some even in church leadership.”
But he told the pilgrims to “stay strong, stayed focused, stay steady.”
The message was well received by those in the room, including Kennedy Horter, 16, of Indiana.
“I don’t let people come between me and God,” said Horter, wrapped in a U.S. flag.
She said she was not going to judge priests and other good people in the church by the actions of men who likely were never priests “spiritually.”
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