There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.
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My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best human efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also." John's Gospel 14:6-7
Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik
Francis meets with the victims of sexual abuse: perpetrators will be held accountable LINK
Vatican
City, 28 September 2015 (VIS) – The final day of the Pope's apostolic trip
began yesterday with his meeting at the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary with
victims of sexual abuse perpetrated when they were minors by members of the
clergy, or members of their families or teachers. The group was composed of
five adults – 3 women and 2 men – accompanied by Cardinal Sean Patrick
O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and president of the Commission for the
Protection of Minors, instituted by the Pope, Archbishop Charles Chaput of
Philadelphia, and Bishop Michael Joseph Fitzgerald, head of the diocesan office
for the protection of minors in the same diocese.
During
the meeting, which lasted half an hour, Francis listened to their accounts of
their experiences, addressed them as a group and then greeted each one
individually. He prayed with them and manifested his participation in their
suffering, his pain and his shame for the harm caused by members of the clergy
or ecclesiastical collaborators.
“Thank
you for corning here today”, he said. “Words cannot fully express my sorrow for
the abuse you suffered. You are precious children of God who should always
expect our protection, our care and our love. I am profoundly sorry that your
innocence was violated by those who you trusted. In some cases the trust was
betrayed by members of your own family, in other cases by priests who carry a
sacred responsibility for the care of soul. In all circumstances, the betrayal
was a terrible violation of human dignity.
“For
those who were abused by a member of the clergy, I am deeply sorry for the
times when you or your family spoke out, to report the abuse, but you were not
heard or believed. Please know that the Holy Father hears you and believes you.
I deeply regret that some bishops failed in their responsibility to protect
children. It is very disturbing to know that in some cases bishops even were
abusers. I pledge to you that we will follow the path of truth wherever it may
lead. Clergy and bishops will be held accountable when they abuse or fail to
protect children.
“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. As we anticipate the
Jubilee Year of Mercy, your presence, so generously given despite the anger and
pain you have experienced, reveals the merciful heart of Christ. Your stories
of survival, each unique and compelling, are powerful signs of the hope that
comes from the Lord's promise to be with us always.
“It is
good to know that you have brought family members and friends with you today. I
am grateful for their compassionate support and pray that many people of the
Church will respond to the call to accompany those who have suffered abuse. May
the Door of Mercy be opened wide in our dioceses, our parishes, our homes and
our hearts, to receive those who were abused and to seek the path to
forgiveness by trusting in the Lord. We promise to support your continued
healing and to always be vigilant to protect the children of today and
tomorrow.
“When the
disciples who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus recognised that He was
the Risen Lord, they asked Jesus to stay with them. Like those disciples, I humbly
beg you and all survivors of abuse to stay with us, to stay with the Church,
and that together, as pilgrims on the journey of faith, we might find our way
to the Father”.
© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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