Photo by CNN
Their names are Olan, Faith and Bernie.
They are three of the five survivors of clergy sexual abuse who met this afternoon with the pope.
Their stories are painful ones and have been told in many forums but not until today were they heard by the Vicar of Christ. You can hear them speak of their experience this afternoon with the pope at CNN (h/t to Rocco).
I had not been very excited about the prospect of the papal visit. As I noted in my posts on Benedict's trip, I thought much of what we would see and hear this week would be a series of posed tableaux - although I did mention that sometimes there can burst forth from what was intended to be only a representation a reality that draws us to unanticipated depths. I believe that has happened...
I also invited you to join me in praying that the pope would be open to the people of the American Church and that we would be open to him. I believe those prayers have been answered... I know that these past few days have been transforming for me.
No, I don't believe all the work has been done. No, I don't believe all the tensions have been resolved. No, I don't believe all the disagreements have been reconciled. But I do believe that this man we call the pope, whose election to that office left me personally dismayed, has caught my attention, respect and ear. With stunning frankness and gentle gestures he has spoken to and touched the hearts and faith of Americans in and outside the Catholic Church, and he has touched me, too.
I would still love to have the 45 minutes with Benedict that President Bush was given. I would plead with him about how so many find the doors of church life closed, locking out them and their experience. In fact, we'd need more than 45 minutes to get at that subject! But as large a pastoral concern as that is for me, my mind and heart have been opened to the way he has ministered this week to the American Church.
I know the week is not over and I haven't yet read the pope's remarks today to the college and university presidents but I wanted to share this with you now. Writing this blog has kept me close to the story of this visit and so I'm grateful to you, my readers, who have indirectly led me to listen and watch carefully as Benedict makes his way among us.
-ConcordPastor
I agree with you. My hope in our Cardinal and our Pope is renewed. His visit has been a breath of fresh air for me.
ReplyDeleteI too was ambivalent about the pope's visit. I just couldn't get excited like others I know who have been watching and taping everything. I never planned on rearranging any part of my schedule in order to watch the pope. To me, Pope Benedict just seems too disconnected from our lives. My Catholic Faith is lived out through my local connection with the church, especially with my parish faith community, not the Vatican.
ReplyDeleteYet, to my surprise I've found myself spiritually uplifted by this visit. I'm not sure why that is. Like you Concordpastor, I was very confused when he was elected. Are we not suppose to be a progressive church since Vatican II? This seems to be a man who wants to fall back into our Catholic traditions and practices. Are we not suppose to be moving forward, carrying with us those traditions that matter? Shouldn't we allow those important traditions to change and form us as we live in this day and age? I know there's not enough room for a long explanation and reasoning in this com-box but I think you get the point I'm trying to make. There are so many things about Catholicism that are in need of reform. I don't believe this man was the right choice for pope in our troubled times. Hope I'm wrong but I don't see a whole lot of reform in the right direction happening during his papacy. However, who am I in the scheme of things? Who am I to say what the right direction should be? I have to believe that God has a plan for us...and a good one. I have to have hope. That's what Pope Benedict's trip seems to convey to us , at least so far. I feel somewhat energized by this thought. I do wonder just how long this uplifting feeling will last. Will this energy die away come next week when all of the excitement of the papal visit is over? Realistically, that's probably true. I will pray about it...because there's still so much work to be done.
Anne
This is part of Margery Egan's column in today's Herald. It sums up my feelings, perfectly. I pray the pope will take action. The whole world's watching.
ReplyDelete"Listening to victims, as Benedict did yesterday, is good and right and an excellent start, but it is only a start. To fix the Catholic Church in Boston, those who knew what happened and kept silent must now pay a steep price.
Pope Benedict heads a church that is supposed to be about doing what is right, even if it’s difficult, especially if it’s difficult.
Perhaps now, after hearing what he heard yesterday, he will begin, finally, to do it."
I was very indifferent about the Pope's visit here, but like many others, have found myself unexpectedly drawn to the media coverage.
ReplyDeleteThe Pope's strong statement about the abuse scandal even before landing on US soil, his mention of it again in his homily in Washington and his meeting with the abuse survivors from Boston have been the most hopeful things I have seen/heard since the scandal broke. It IS only a beginning, and perhaps an overdue one at that, but it seems clear that the message has been heard. Yes, it is sad that it took 6 years, but we cannot move forward if we cling to the past. I am grateful for this beginning, even if it is overdue.
Up to this point I truly believed Rome simply did not understand the magnitude or scope of the devastation that has taken place within the US Catholic church. It has been, for me, a most significant step; I pray that it is not the only step.
I am also deeply grateful to Cardinal O'Malley for facilitaing this critically important meeting. I was not aware of how fervently he had campaigned for the Pope to come here to Boston. I am especially heartened that he pursued the need for this meeting even if it could not take place in Boston.
As we pray for our Pope Benedict and our Cardinal Sean this week-end at Mass, I will be praying with a renewed sense of hope and anticipation that they will be very intentional in helping to bring about the healing of the US Catholic church.
So far I have only seen on TV or read about in the paper the three survivors you pictured: Bernie, Olan and Faith. Does anyone know who the other two were that met with the pope? I am very grateful to the pope for meeting with these five and for Cardinal Sean O'Malley for arranging this meeting. We owe our archbishop a debt of gratitude. I personally feel a sense of relief that finally the pope knows - really knows - the depth of anguish that survivors have endured. I believe he will hold this meeting in his heart and will do whatever is necessary to bring peace to all of the survivors.
ReplyDelete"I am also deeply grateful to Cardinal O'Malley for facilitaing this critically important meeting."
ReplyDelete"We owe our archbishop a debt of gratitude."
I'm not sure how I feel about those statements. I would perhaps say that I appreciate his efforts and thank him for arranging the meeting. It was indeed a gesture of good faith and healing. Yet, this meeting doesn't cure all our problems which were caused by the Cardinal's fellow bishops. I don't feel we owe him our gratitude.
Anne
The meeting with the pope and the five survivors is a momentous step forward. Cardinal Sean O'Malley arranged the meeting. He made it happen. I do think we should be deeply indebted to him. I know that I am.
ReplyDelete