In a letter addressed to the Bishops of Chile, Pope Francis admits to making “serious mistakes in the assessment and perception of the situation” of clerical sexual abuse.
The Pope wrote the letter after reading a report from the two envoys he dispatched to Chile to examine the allegations against Bishop Juan Barros more thoroughly.
In his letter, Pope Francis affirms that “the collected testimonies speak in a stark way, without additives or sweeteners, of many crucified lives, and I confess to you that that causes me sorrow and shame,” he writes.
The Pope also acknowledges his own responsibility, saying “I have made serious mistakes in the assessment and perception of the situation, especially due to the lack of truthful and balanced information.”
He requests forgiveness “from all those I have offended,” and says he will be meeting with representatives of the people interviewed, in order to apologize personally.
Pope Francis closes by requesting the “collaboration and assistance” of the Bishops “in the discernment of the short, medium, and long-term measures to be adopted in order to re-establish ecclesial communion in Chile, with the goal of repairing the scandal as much as possible, and re-establishing justice.”
To that end, the Pope says he intends to call all the Bishops of Chile to Rome for discussions, leaving the timing of the visit to the Bishops’ Conference.
Such a letter had to be written in view of the scandal and embarrassment which his personal comments added to the injury of those who suffered physical, emotional and spiritual abuse.
The unveiling of the Pope’s letter took place in Chile at a press conference, headed by Bishops Santiago Silva and Fernando Ramos, President and Secretary General of the Chilean Bishops’ Conference.
The Pope visited Chile in early January, and began by issuing an apology for the “irreparable damage” caused by clerical sexual abuse. During the visit, the Holy Father met with the victims of abuse.
On his last day in Chile and before heading to Peru, Francis told a journalist that “there’s not a single proof against Bishop Barros, it’s all a calumny.”
Days later, during his traditional in-flight press conference, the Pope said that he regretted using the word “proof” when he should have said “evidence,” but stood by his words, insisting that he was personally “convinced” that the Bishop is innocent.
In late January, however, the Vatican announced that Francis was sending envoys to investigate the claims of the accusers further.
Bishop Barros, together with three other Bishops, have been accused by survivors of the country’s most notorious pedophile Priest of having witnessed and ignored the abuses committed by Father Karadima.
Karadima was found guilty of abuse by the Vatican in 2011 and sentenced to a life of penitence and prayer. Since the statute of limitations on the priest’s abuses had expired, he was never tried by Chilean courts, though the judge handling the case in 2011 deemed the accusations to be “truthful and reliable.”
Bishop Barros and the three other Bishops, who were Priests when the abuses took place, consistently denied knowing what was happening.
Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Francis' letter to the Chilean hierarchy was an acknowledgment that he had made mistakes about abuse victims and that his request that the country's Bishops come to Rome to discuss reforms amounts to a "spiritual state of emergency" declaration for the Chilean Catholic church.
A remarkable statement indeed, and very disconcerting to the Universal Church as well.
Perhaps what I find most disturbing is Pope Francis’ blaming his missteps in judging the case on a lack of "truthful and balanced information" .
Really?
Or did the Pope simply not take into account the factual information which was at his disposal?
Hadn’t the Executive Committee of Chile’s Bishops Conference recommended that Bishop resign and be placed on forced sabbatical?
Hadn’t Bishop Barros himself offered to resign his assignment?
Hadn’t the Pope’s own sex abuse advisory commission questioned Barros' suitability to run a diocese?
Hadn’t the Pope himself stated that received a personal letter from a victim in 2015 detailing Barros' wrongdoing?
In response to these facts, Burke stated that Pope Francis receives a lot of information from a variety of sources and now he has read a 2,300-page dossier prepared by two Vatican-mandated envoys. "Let's just say it's very clear now the Pope has a complete picture of the situation," he said.
One of two possibilities exists which would explain this public debacle and humiliation.
Either, the Pope, for whatever reason, simply ignored the facts. Or, he was never provided that information directly and was ill-served by those entrusted with such responsibility.
In either case, Pope Francis needs to focus his attention on the crisis within the Church caused by the sexual abuse of minors and begin to take serious action both against the perpetrators of such horrific actions and against those who have sheltered and protected them from justice.
To date, the Pope sadly has failed on both fronts.
Apologies and letters such as the one written to the Chilean Bishops will be empty and meaningless gestures unless the Holy Father takes a firmer and more direct hand in such matters.
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