PHILADELPHIA >> Pope Francis met on Sunday morning at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary with three women and two men who had been victims of sexual abuse – at least some in the group were abused by clergy members.
“We are gathered here in Philadelphia to celebrate God’s gift of family life. Within our family of faith and our human families, the sins and crimes of sexual abuse of children must no longer be held in secret and in shame,” the Pope said in his address to the victims.
The pope had drawn criticism from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests for meeting with high-ranking clergy during his time in the United States that had played a part in the Catholic sex abuse scandal.
On Sunday while at the seminary in Lower Merion, Pope Francis condemned sexual abuse and made it clear in separate addresses to victims and archdiocesan bishops, that it would no longer be covered up or tolerated.
“I pledge the zealous vigilance of the church to protect children and the promise of accountability for all,” he told bishops in his remarks, courtesy of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
He told victims, “Clergy and bishops will be held accountable when they abuse or fail to protect children.”
What that means, though, is still up for debate.
The Rev. Edward Burns, Bishop of Juneau, Alaska, and chair of the Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, said the Pope’s remarks were “a very clear call, one of accountability.”
“When there is an allegation of abuse, the church reaches out to the victim and also reaches out to law enforcement, because it’s imperative we involve law enforcement in the investigation of any allegation of abuse,” Burns said.
SNAP President Barbara Blaine, said while it is important the Pope acknowledged the epidemic of abuse, that “does not safeguard a single child.”
“Pope Francis said he weeps over the victims,” Blaine said. “We believe there would be many less victims to cry over if the Vatican took more steps toward prevention. We think that the Vatican should open up the records of abuse and turn them over to police.”
The pope expressed sorrow to the victims, each of whom were able to bring a family member or support person.
The abuse victims also were accompanied by Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston and chairman of the commission set up by the pope for the protection of minors, as well as Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput and Bishop Fitzgerald, head of the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s commission for the protection of minors.
“You should have seen how truly moved he was having that meeting with the victims,” Burns said. “It was a powerful and very poignant movement, helping us create a safe environment for our children, and doing what is necessary for the church to restore trust and restore credibility.”
SNAP criticized the pope for co-celebrating Mass with Justin Cardinal Rigali, who presided over the Archdiocese of Philadelphia while a grand jury report recommended that the church overhaul its process for protecting children and remove clergy accused of abuse.
While the allegations of abuse came to light in Philadelphia, Blaine said SNAP has more than a million members in 73 countries, and many of them haven’t seen that kind of justice.
“Philadelphia is an anomaly, that the prosector empaneled a grand jury to get these findings. In many cities they are still trying to get that far,” Blaine said.
Burns said the Church is attempting to right a wrong.
“We have acknowledged that the sacred has been twisted by evil,” Burns said. “That is to say that the sacred lives of innocent children have been abused by some clergy. What we saw today at St. Charles Borromeo Chapel, before all the bishops gathered here today in Philadelphia, was a very clear call of accountability.”
The Rev. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See press office, said Pope Francis hopes to reach out to all abuse victims.
“This is a larger perspective of the responsibility of the church toward the young people,” Lombardi said. “(The pope) wants to take care, not only of the survivors of the clergy, but in general. Minors that are abused in the entire world, even persons of another religion. We have to care for the health environment and the safety of minors everywhere.”
The pope expressed both sorrow and gratitude to those victims, for what happened to them, and that they remained in the church.
“You survivors of abuse have yourselves become true heralds of hope and ministers of mercy. We humbly owe each one of you and your families our gratitude for your immense courage to shine the light of Christ on the evil of the sexual abuse of children,” Pope Francis said.
