On October 1st, the Pope celebrated a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica by giving a penitential liturgy where he opened with testimonies of those who have been survivors of clergy sexual abuse, in preparation for the Synod of Bishops, which will take place from October 2 to 24, 2024. It was the first time that Pope Francis celebrated this kind of vigil which was dedicated to the victims of abuse in the church with the intention of beginning to “heal wounds that never stop bleeding."
Following the events of the virgil on October 1st, Father Hans Zollner, the director of the Institute of Anthropology – Interdisciplinary Studies on Human Dignity and Care (IADC), shared his own thoughts to OSV News and The New York Times.
Fr. Zollner described how many people lose trust in the church, not only due to the acts of abuse itself but additionally through “the cover up that has happened, through bishops, through provincials, through other church leaders, also laity, who didn’t do what needed to be done at the moment so that the abuse was stopped and those who committed those crimes and sins were punished.”
Zollner additionally mentioned how the conversation of sexual violence being brought up within the church by church leaders and members has been “very challenging for many within the church” which comes as a surprise to Zoller, as he mentions how “you would think that from the Gospel, from Jesus’s own identification with the most vulnerable and the wounded ones, we would have a natural inclination to be with and for those who have been wounded.”
Throughout all these challenges, Father Hans Zollner stated that he sees slow change which “is not everywhere. But moments like these can be real moments of grace, where many people realize this is not going to go away.” Father Zoller concluded by adding that “we want to be a safe church.”
October 1st, 2024 marked a historic day in the Catholic Church by talking openly about sexual violence caused by church members, a topic which has always been stigmatize. By openly having these conversations and the Pope asking for forgiveness, the church feels as if it is stepping in the right direction in order to make positive change by admitting to their faults and shedding light on survivors.