NEW YORK
National Catholic Register
BY CNA/EWTN NEWS 09/24/2015
NEW YORK CITY — In his first address in New York, Pope Francis lamented the suffering caused by the sexual-abuse scandal in the United States — not only for the trauma inflicted on the Church’s most vulnerable members, but also for the shame it has brought to priests and religious in general.
“I know that, as a presbyterate in the midst of God’s people, you suffered greatly in the not-distant past by having to bear the shame of some of your brothers who harmed and scandalized the Church in the most vulnerable of her members,” he said addressing clergy and religious gathered for Evening Prayer at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City Sept. 24.
“I accompany you at this time of pain and difficulty, and I thank God for your faithful service to his people,” he said, adding they have “come forth from the great tribulation.”
Despite these difficulties, Pope Francis said, “Our vocation is to be lived in joy.”
New York is the second of three cities the Holy Father will stop in during his Sept. 22-27 visit to the United States. In his first leg of his trip, the Holy Father addressed a joint session of Congress and met briefly with President Obama in Washington. While in New York City, Pope Francis will address the United Nations, before heading to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families.
During his remarks Thursday evening, the Pope also took a moment to express his “esteem and gratitude” for women religious in America, calling them the “front line” of evangelization. “To you, religious women, sisters and mothers of this people, I wish to say ‘thank you,’ a big thank you, and to tell you that I love you very much,” he said.
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