Doctrine of the faith: the pope's "firm determination" to bring justice to victims of abuse Click here.
Card. Ladaria Ferrer, January 21, 2022, © Vatican Media
Doctrine of the faith: the pope's "firm determination" to bring justice to victims of abuse
Audience at the Roman Congregation (full translation)
“The Church pursues with firm determination its commitment to bring justice to the victims of abuses perpetrated by its members,” Pope Francis told participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on Friday, January 21. 2022.
Pope Francis received in audience the participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, this Friday, January 21, 2022. He thanked his collaborators for their work in the service of the integrity of Catholic doctrine in matters of faith and morals and articulated his speech around three themes: dignity, discernment and faith.
The pope highlighted the need to practice “the art of discernment” in the life of the Church today. In particular and above all in the fight "against abuse of all types", but also in matters of dissolution of the matrimonial bond: when "the Church grants the dissolution of a non-sacramental matrimonial bond", he explained, "through this eminently pastoral act, I always intend to promote the Catholic faith".
The exercise of discernment is also essential in the synodal journey, where it is appropriate, the pope specified, “to continually discern opinions, points of view and reflections”. This is precisely what “will make the synod a real synod, whose most important character (…) is the Holy Spirit, and not a parliament or a survey of opinions that the media can do”, he said. He insists.
Speech by Pope Francis (full translation by Zenit)
Gentlemen Cardinals,
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am happy to welcome you at the end of the work of your Plenary Assembly. I thank the Prefect for his introduction and I greet you all, superiors, officials and members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. I repeat to you all my gratitude for the precious service you render to the universal Church by promoting and safeguarding the integrity of Catholic doctrine on faith and morals. A fruitful integrity.
On this occasion, I would like to share with you some reflections around three words: dignity, discernment and faith.
The first: dignity . As I wrote at the beginning of the encyclical Fratelli tutti , my great desire is "that in this period in which it is given to us to live, recognizing the dignity of each human person, we can all together revive a desire universal fraternity” (n. 8). If fraternity is the destination that the Creator projected for the path of humanity, the main path remains that of recognizing the dignity of each human person.
However, in our time, marked by many social, political and even health tensions, the temptation is great to consider the other as a stranger or an enemy, denying their real dignity. This is why, especially in these times, we are invited to remember, "in season and out of season" (2 Tim 4:2), and faithfully following the bimillenary teaching of the Church, that the dignity of every being human has an intrinsic character and that this is valid from the moment of his conception until his natural death. It is precisely the affirmation of this dignity which is the essential prerequisite for the protection of a personal and social existence, as well as the necessary condition for fraternity and social friendship to be achieved among all the peoples of the earth. .
From the beginning of her mission, the Church has always proclaimed and promoted the intangible value of human dignity. In fact, man is the masterpiece of creation: he is wanted and loved by God as a partner in his eternal designs and, for his salvation, Jesus gave his life until he died on the cross. for all men, for each one of us.
I therefore thank you for the reflection that you have initiated on the value of human dignity, taking into account the challenges raised by the current reality on this subject.
The second word is discernment . Today, the art of discernment is increasingly expected of Christians. In this historic change that we are going through, while some believers find themselves confronted with new and complex questions, on the other there is an increasing need for spirituality which does not always refer to the Gospel. Thus, it is not rare that one has to deal with so-called supernatural phenomena for which the people of God must receive sure and solid indications.
The exercise of discernment has a necessary field of application in the fight against abuses of all types. With God's help, the Church pursues with firm determination its commitment to bring justice to the victims of the abuses perpetrated by its members, applying with particular attention and rigor the canonical legislation provided for. With this in mind, I recently updated the Norms on crimes reserved to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , with the intention of making judicial action more effective. This cannot, on its own, stop the phenomenon, but it constitutes a necessary step to restore justice, repair the scandal and correct the culprit.
Such an effort of discernment is also expressed in another area with which you deal daily: the dissolution of the matrimonial bond in favorem fidei . When, under Petrine power, the Church grants the dissolution of a non-sacramental marital bond, it is not only a question of canonically ending a marriage, which has already failed in fact, but in reality, through this eminently pastoral act, I always intend to promote the Catholic faith – in favorem fidei ! – in the new union and in the family, of which this new marriage will be the nucleus.
And I would also like to pause here on the need for discernment in the synodal journey. We can think that the synodal journey consists of listening to everyone, investigating and giving results. So many votes, so many votes, so many votes… No! A synodal journey without discernment is not a synodal journey. It is appropriate, in the synodal journey, to continually discern opinions, points of view and reflections. One cannot participate in a synodal journey without discerning. This discernment is what will make the synod a true synod, whose character – let us put it this way – the most important is the Holy Spirit, and not a parliament or a survey of opinions that the media can do. This is why I underline it: discernment in the synodal journey is important.
The last word is faith. Your Congregation is called not only to defend but also to promote the faith. Without faith, the presence of believers in the world would be reduced to that of a humanitarian agency. Faith must be the heart of the life and action of all the baptized. And not a generic or vague faith, as if it were diluted wine, which loses its value; but an authentic, sincere faith, as the Lord wants when he says to his disciples: “If you had faith, as big as a mustard seed…” (Lk 17, 6). This is why we must never forget that “a faith that does not challenge us is a faith in crisis; a faith that does not make us grow is a faith that must grow; a faith that does not question us is a faith about which we must question ourselves; a faith which does not animate us is a faith which must be animated;
Ne nous contentons pas d’une foi tiède, routinière, mode d’emploi. Collaborons avec l’Esprit Saint et collaborons entre nous afin que le feu que Jésus est venu apporter dans le monde puisse continuer de brûler et d’enflammer tous les cœurs.
Chers amis, je vous remercie beaucoup pour votre travail et je vous encourage à le poursuivre avec l’aide du Seigneur. Et s’il vous plaît, n’oubliez pas de prier pour moi. Merci.
© Traduction de Zenit, Hélène Ginabat
Hélène Ginabat
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