“I humbly plead forgiveness”

Peter whose eyes meet the gaze of Jesus after he betrayed him and weeps. Another Peter perceives the same gaze and asks the grace for “the Church to weep and make reparation for her sons and daughters who betrayed their mission, who abused innocent persons”. These are the opening words of the homily of the Mass delivered July 7 in Santa Marta, before six adults, victims of abuse during their childhood, from Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom, who Francis met in person, dedicating half an hour to each one of them. The eyes of children. In the intense, moving homily – the first centered on the tragedy of paedophilia – the Pope spoke words of denunciation and of mercy, describing the process of the abused victims as “our process of healing” , asking forgiveness for “the sins and grave crimes of clerical sexual abuse committed by members of the clergy” and for “the sins of omission on the part of Church leaders” who failed to report them. “There is no place in the Church’s ministry for those who commit these abuses”, assured the Holy Father, who voiced his commitment “not to tolerate harm done to a minor by any individual, whether a cleric or not”. “Sins of clerical sexual abuse against minors have a toxic effect on faith and hope in God”. Abuses are “like a sacrilegious cult”, that have “left in the children life long scars”, a “terrible darkness” that must lead the Church to “ask the grace to be ashamed”. There is also another gaze, that the Church must find the “courage” to sustain; with the same force shown by the victims who denounced: the eyes of children. “Today the heart of the Church looks into the eyes of Jesus in these boys and girls and wants to weep”. The millstone and the sea. “Before God and his people I express my sorrow for the sins and grave crimes of clerical sexual abuse committed against you. And I humbly ask forgiveness”. It’s the “Mea culpa” uttered by the Pope, who asked forgiveness also for the “sins of omission”, that “led to even greater suffering on the part of those who were abused and it endangered other minors who were at risk”. The Pope continued: “All bishops must carry out their pastoral ministry with the utmost care in order to help foster the protection of minors, and they will be held accountable”. “What Jesus says about those who cause scandal applies to all of us: the millstone and the sea”, the Pope warned quoting from the Gospel of Matthew, in the reassurance that “we will continue to exercise vigilance in priestly formation”. “I am counting on the members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, all minors, whatever religion they belong to, for they are little flowers which God looks lovingly upon”, he added, expressing the wish that the members of the Commission that he set up to help me ensure that we develop better policies and procedures in the universal Church for the protection of minors”. “We need to do everything in our power to ensure that these sins have no place in the Church”. Childhood is a treasure. Abuse “is something more than despicable actions”. Abuses are “a sacrilegious cult, because these boys and girls had been entrusted to the priestly charism in order to be brought to God. And those people sacrificed them to the idol of their own concupiscence”. The Pope’s continued with strong words: “They profane the very image of God in whose likeness we were created”, because “childhood is a treasure”. Wounds that weigh on the conscience. “Addiction, difficulties in significant relationships, with parents, spouses and children”. The Pope does not turn a blind eye to the long-term consequences of abuse on the victims. “These wounds” are “a source of deep and often unrelenting emotional and spiritual pain, and even despair”, like that of those who had to witness “the terrible tragedy of the suicide of a dear person”, the Pope said. “The deaths of these so beloved children of God weigh upon the heart and my conscience and that of the whole Church”, assured the Pope, offering to these families his “feelings of love and suffering”. Mercy, love and reconciliation. “Your presence here speaks of the miracle of hope, which prevails against the deepest darkness”. “Surely it is a sign of God’s mercy that today we have this opportunity to encounter one another, to adore God, to look in one another’s eyes and seek the grace of reconciliation”, he added. “You and all those who were abused by clergy are loved by God”, assured the Holy Father.