Admin I Thursday, May 03, 2018
VATICAN, Rome – Pope Francis at the weekend met with Chilean survivors of clerical sex abuse at the Vatican City appologising profusely for the development, noting that he was part of the problem. Juan Carlos Cruz, who was a victim of Chilean abuser Fr. Fernando Karadima met with Pope Francis privately on Saturday, and said he spoke to the pontiff for at least three hours, and found him “sincere, attentive and deeply apologetic for the situation.”
Who are the survivors of Clerical Sexual abuse?
Cruz visited with fellow abuse survivors, like James Hamilton and Jose Andres Murillo, each of whom suffered abuse at the hands Chilean priest Fernando Karadima, who in 2011 was found guilty by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of sexually abusing several minors during the 1980s and 1990s, and subsequently sentenced to a life of prayer and solitude.
Report from Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna
Hamilton, Cruz and Murillo were invited by the Vatican after the pope received a 2,300-page report from Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna.
“For me, the pope was contrite, he was truly sorry. I felt also that he was hurting, which for me was very solemn, because it’s not often that the pope says sorry to you”, Cruz said, quoting Pope Francis as saying, “I was part of the problem, I caused this and I apologize.” The Chilean civil authorities investigated Karadima but dropped charges since his crimes were beyond the statute of limitations.
Allegations were also made against three other bishops – Andrés Arteaga, Tomislav Koljatic and Horacio Valenzuela – whom Karadima’s victims accused of also covering the abuser’s crimes.
Scicluna interviewed some 64 people, most of whom were victims, but the scale of the investigation went beyond Barros. The final report is said to be much more extensive, including details from other cases.
Pope Francis had previous defended Bishop Barros, saying he had received no evidence of the bishop’s guilt, and called accusations against him “calumny” during a trip to Chile in January. However, just days after he made the comments, news broke that Cruz in 2015 had sent the pope an 8-page letter through the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors with his testimony detailing Barros’ presence and involvement in the abuse.
After receiving Archbishop Scicluna’s report, Francis issued a major “mea culpa” April 11, saying he had made “serious errors in the judgment and perception of the situation, especially due to a lack of truthful and balanced information.”
In a joint statement issued May 2, the survivors said they have been treated as “enemies” of the Church for nearly 10 years for their outspoken criticism of abuse and cover-up in the Church, but that this weekend’s meetings allowed them to meet “the friendly face of the Church, completely different form the one we had seen before.”
Pope Francis, they said, asked for forgiveness in his name and on behalf of the entire universal Church.
“We were able to speak frankly and respectfully with the pope,” they said, explaining that major themes brought up included not only sexual abuse, but also cover-up and abuse of power, which they said are not isolated to Chile, but are “an epidemic” that has affected thousands of people throughout the global Church.
Despite their abuse, the survivors said they have met many priests and men and women religious who are fighting for justice, and called them “courageous” people who have made progress in the fight against abuse and cover-up.
Pope Francis, they said, was “very attentive, receptive and very empathetic during the intense and long hours of conversation.”
With reports from CNA
