abuse victim testimony

VATICAN CITY (EFE).— The Pope Francis will “ask for forgiveness” for the sins of the Church during the vigil prior to the second session of the Synod of Bishops, next October 1st in St. Peter’s Basilica and where the testimonies of three victims can be heard, including that of one of sexual abuse.

The meeting of bishops from around the world, which will be held in the Vatican from October 2 to 27, will be preceded by “a penitential vigil” in Saint Peter’s, presided over by the Pontiff and “open to everyone”in which “sins that cause more pain and shame will be called by their name” in the Church, said Cardinal Mario Grech yesterday, at the presentation of the Synod.

“In the Vatican Basilica We will hear three testimonies from people who have suffered from some of these sins.

“Confession for various types of sins will follow.

“It will not be about denouncing the sin of others, but about recognizing oneself as part of those who, by action or at least by omission, become the cause of the suffering suffered by the innocent and defenseless,” explained the general secretary of the Synod.

The Pope will ask forgiveness for the sins of the Church: testimony of a victim of abuse

Asked about those testimonials At the presentation press conference in the Vatican, Cardinal Grech reported that the victims who will give their testimony will be “a person who has suffered sexual abuse”, one victim of war and another of “indifference” towards migration.

“At the end of this confession of sins, the Holy Father will address, on behalf of all Christians, a request for forgiveness to God and to the sisters and brothers of all humanity,” he added.

How many will participate in the second session of the Synod and who are they?

The second session of Synodin which there will be two bishops from China, will have 368 participants, including 272 bishops and 96 non-bishops, to which must be added 8 special guests and 16 fraternal delegates, in addition to 20 members of the 15 Eastern Catholic Churches.

“The list does not present big changes regarding the participants in the first session” of the Synod, which took place in October last year, stressed Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, general rapporteur of the assembly.

As revealed last July by the Vatican when releasing the working document, the assembly of bishops from around the world will study giving more presence to women in the Church, although will not address the question of the female diaconate.

The working document arises from the orientations of previous meetings and local churches around the world to be debated in the Synod, which Pope Francis decided to be a listening “process” from 2021 focused on Synodality, that is, the unity of the church, and, for that reason, it has for the first time laymen and women with the right to vote.

This “path” has been articulated in stages since 2021 and, after last year’s meeting in Rome, it now reaches the second and final meeting, this October, to then provide conclusions that will be presented, presumably, during 2025, Holy Year .

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