What Can We Expect From the Vatican Summit?

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What Can We Expect From the Vatican Summit?

REGISTER SYMPOSIUM: Key Church leaders reflect on the root causes of clerical sexual abuse, and the most effective path forward to healing
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Excellent contributors here but especially Archbishop Vigano…
I am praying intensely for the success of the February summit. Although I would rejoice greatly if the summit were successful, the following questions reveal that there is no sign of a genuine willingness to attend to the real causes of the present situation:
  • Why will the meeting focus exclusively on the abuse of minors? These crimes are indeed the most horrific, but the crises in the United States and Chile that have largely precipitated the upcoming summit have to do with abuses committed against young adults, including seminarians, not only against minors. Almost nothing has been said about sexual misconduct with adults, which is itself a grave abuse of pastoral authority, whether or not the relationship was “consensual.”
  • Why does the word “homosexuality” never appear in recent official documents of the Holy See? This is by no means to suggest that most of those with a homosexual inclination are abusers, but the fact remains that the overwhelming majority of abuse has been inflicted on post-pubescent boys by homosexual clerics. It is mere hypocrisy to condemn the abuse and claim to sympathize with the victims without facing up to this fact honestly. A spiritual revitalization of the clergy is necessary, but it will be ultimately ineffectual if it does not address this problem.
  • Why does Pope Francis keep and even call as his close collaborators people who are notorious homosexuals? Why has he refused to answer legitimate and sincere questions about these appointments? In doing so he has lost credibility on his real will to reform the Curia and fight the corruption.
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Well, a three day meeting with around 200 bishops from diverse social and legal cultures cannot come up with any universal actions. Maybe I’ve become pessimistic, but I see the can bing kicked down the road to see how many lose interest. I hope and do pray I am wrong.
 
I am not terribly optimistic at the moment. Whatever semblance of trust and credibility that ever existed before won’t be brought back with one summit. But I’ll pray for them.
 
Not much. I sadly expect no discussion on the homosexuality issue, no discussion about the seminarians abused, and little to nothing concerning consensual escapades. In short, I do not have much hope on this.
 
See my comment here:
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What would you expect from the meeting of bishops at February 21-24, 2019? Catholic Living
I already see more troubles to come. Archbishop Vigano claims Pope Francis should repent and be converted. It is a quite subversive comment, I reckon. He says about the Supreme Pontiff: “I urged him then, and I now urge him again, to tell the truth, repent, show his willingness to follow the mandate given to Peter and, once converted, to confirm his brothers (Luke 22:32).”
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There is a parallel topic here:
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What would you expect from the meeting of bishops at February 21-24, 2019? Catholic Living
What can be reasonably expected from the meeting? Would it be just another attempt to silence the media? Or would it be an honest confrontation of the plagues of sexual abuse committed by Catholic clergy? To name the major issue, would the term ‘clerical abuse’ or ‘pedophilia’ preferred? Would there be stricter policies outlined to eradicate clerical pedophilia? Would Metropolitan Bishops or the laity be more involved in investigating sexual abuse charges? Would credibly accused priests and bis…
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What can we expect from the Vatican Summit?
Perhaps High level resignation(s) or dismissals.
 
Lots of resolutions and big words, with no appreciable change. If they were serious about it, they wouldn’t have needed this seemingly pointless summit to begin with.
 
yankeesouth said:
What Can We Expect From the Vatican Summit?
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Father Hans Zollner, who is on the organizing committee for the Vatican Summit, says this is what we should expect from it during his briefing for journalists in Rome:
  1. It will be first and foremost about raising awareness, including that the scandal of abuse is not a “Western” problem, but happens in every country.
  2. Organizers hope that by listening to victims and leaders who have learned things the hard way, participants will be inspired to adopt a culture of accountability and transparency.
  3. There will be a kind of “parallel assembly” as large numbers of survivors and advocacy groups converge on Rome to call for greater accountability, action and reform.
  4. Pope Francis will be present throughout the meeting, which will include plenary sessions, working groups, prayer, a penitential liturgy and a closing Mass.
  5. Expect the meeting to be one critical step along a very long journey that began decades ago and must continue.
Details at this link:

Great expectations: Vatican abuse summit has key, realistic goals
https://www.catholicnews.com/servic...ican-abuse-summit-has-key-realistic-goals.cfm
 
I think we should expect Pope Francis’ agenda to be played out here.

Our Holy Father has called for TRANSPARENCY, so I want to see that lived out in this meeting.

Pope Francis wants ‘absolute transparency’ as he pushes Vatican reform​

By David Gibson | Religion News Service Washington Post

February 12, 2015

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis called for a Vatican that operates with “absolute transparency” as he gathered more than 165 cardinals in Rome for high-level meetings aimed at tackling one of the toughest challenges of his reformist papacy: overhauling the dysfunctional bureaucracy of the Roman Curia.

The goal, Francis told a lecture hall filled with the “princes of the church,” is to encourage “greater harmony” among the different church offices in a bid to foster “absolute transparency that builds authentic … collegiality.”

“Reform is not an end in itself, but a means of bearing a powerful Christian witness,” Francis said.

That was a nod to the scandals that overshadowed the waning years of Benedict XVI’s papacy and undermined the Vatican’s credibility with the public and the dismayed churchmen who had to deal with the fallout. . . .
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(Emphasis mine)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...ory.html?utm_term=.25302317d6cb&noredirect=on

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“The time has come, and the Vatican in fact inaugurated the season, of an OPEN DIALOGUE
without preconceptions, which opens the doors for a serious and fecund meeting.” - Pope
Francis’ Letter to the Founder of La Repubblica Italian Newspaper, September 11, 2013
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(Emphasis mine)

Pope Francis' Letter to the Founder of "La Repubblica" Italian Newspaper - ZENIT - English

Here is the translation of the letter sent by Pope Francis to the founder of “La Repubblica” Italian newspaper Eugenio Scalfari in response to several questions made by him in various articles. The Holy Father addresses both Mr. Scalfari and non-believers.
zenit.org zenit.org

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So I am expecting, or at least hoping for, open, frank, and honest dialogue concerning these abuse issues.
 
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Well per Cardinal Cupich, the focus is on Child abuse. When asked at the news conference yesterday he downplayed any discussions about homosexuality within the clergy. Archbishop Scicluna however pointed to the fact that 80%± of the victims were males 14 years of age and older.
If the entire sexual abuse crisis is not discussed, and a zero tolerance of ALL deviations from chastity on the part of Priests is not mandated,and enforced, this conference is worthless.
 
DMorgan56 said:
a zero tolerance of ALL deviations from chastity on the part of Priests is not mandated
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We do have to be careful. If a priest or bishops falls in a truly consensual realationshio (no coercion from a position of power is involved), I do not think a zero tolerance policy is warranted.
 
I have to stop and think about what such a licit relationship would look like (“truly consensual” and “no coercion from a position of power”).

It cannot be a woman-man relationship since there are no women who are priests and therefore equal in power dynamics.

It cannot be a man-man relationship since there are no licit homosexual relations that violate chastity.

Nope, I can’t think of such a relationship to violate chastity that needs to be tolerated.
 
I never said such a relationship can be licit,. I used the term "falls ", which I now see is not clear, I meant it as in falls == sins.

Now, I agree no sexual relationship should be tolerated, but the when I was responding to the zero-tolerance as in they can no longer serve in their priestly capacity. I do not think we should get rid of a priest just because he committed one mortal sin in which no one was abused.
 
I do. Get rid of them all. I dont care if we have to drive 8 hours to go to Mass. Plenty of people are abused in these relationships you say are consensual. The laity, the other priests…etc. I’ve never been abused by a priest physically. But I am a victim of abuse. We all are.
 
Again, I am not talking about abuse. I am saying a zero tolerance policy for all deviations from chastity is going too far. Let me ask a question:. Should every parent who has committed adultery one time loose his/her rights as a parent to raise their children?
 
Depends on if the parent is public about it.

Zero tolerance.

Lets take a real example. I know a priest who was arrested for the rape of a government employee. The trial was a mistrial because of a technicality. He will probably never be retried. A court of law will never find him guilty. But many in the diocese know what happened. Or at least some graphic detail. The priest says it was a one time thing, and was consensual. Now, as Bishop, where would you have him minister? What parish would you put him at?
 
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