Bergoglio Leads Controversial Act of Penance

Edit: these pointless showboat events don’t seem to have any reconciliation in mind or any individuals in need of regenerarion. 

Vienna's Cardinal Schönborn also spoke one of the seven pleas for forgiveness at a ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica on the eve of the opening of the four-week world synod.  There was some criticism of the texts in advance

Vatican City (kath.net/KAP/red) In an act of penance in St. Peter's Basilica, in which Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schönborn also took part, top representatives of the Catholic Church, led by Pope Francis, confessed the Church's guilt.  For the first time, they publicly asked God and humanity for forgiveness because of the Catholic Church's failure to deal with cases of sexual abuse by clergy.

The service took place on Tuesday evening in the Vatican Basilica, on the eve of the opening of a four-week world synod for the renewal of the Catholic Church.  Similar to the historic confession of the Church's sins throughout its long history, which took place in 2000, several cardinals read out individual confessions of guilt one after the other.  Each of the seven posts contained the phrase, "I ask for forgiveness and I'm ashamed."

In addition to failing to deal with sexual or spiritual abuse, the cardinals acknowledged guilt on behalf of the Church in, among other things, Christians' involvement in environmental destruction, colonialism and slavery.  The failure of men in the Church to advocate for the dignity of women was mentioned, as was the oppression and exploitation of women religious.  In his text, Cardinal Schönborn addressed the “obstacles to building a truly synodal, common church.”

 “I ask for forgiveness and am ashamed that we have transformed authority into power, that we have stifled plurality, that we have not listened to the people, that we have made it difficult for many brothers and sisters to participate in the mission of the Church,” it said in the pleas for forgiveness presented by Schönborn.  People have forgotten "that we are all called in history to become living stones of the one temple of the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ."  Child Abuse Report Each of the seven guilty pleas was accompanied by a sung invocation of Divine Mercy.

Previously, among others, the German-based singer Laurence Gien, who was abused by a cleric as a minor in his former home of South Africa, reported on the serious psychological damage caused to the victims by the acts and their cover-up.  In further testimonies, an Italian woman reported on the suffering of boat refugees and migrants, and a Syrian religious woman spoke of the horrors of the war in her homeland.  The guilty plea to clerical abuse was made by US Cardinal Sean O'Malley, who headed the Pontifical Child Protection Commission for many years.  Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias asked for forgiveness for Catholics' past disregard for life and failure to strive for peace.  Curial Cardinal Michael Czerny spoke out about transgressions against creation and shame for colonialism.  Irish-American Curial Cardinal Kevin Farrell's request for forgiveness was aimed, among other things, at disrespecting the dignity of women.  Prefect of the Faith, Cardinal Víctor Fernandez, asked, among other things, forgiveness for offenses against the "unity of the Christian faith and the true fraternity of all humanity."

 Cardinal Cristobal Lopez, archbishop of the Moroccan capital Rabat, read out a request for forgiveness for wrongdoings and omissions towards the poor.  Cardinal Schönborn spoke as the last of the seven cardinals and as a member of the Council of the Synod Secretariat.  "Healing wounds that still bleed" Pope Francis emphasized in his closing address: "We can no longer call on the name of God without first asking forgiveness from our brothers and sisters and the earth and all creatures."  He continued: "We must ask ourselves what responsibility we have if we fail to stop evil with good."

 On the eve of the World Synod, the confession of guilt is "an opportunity to restore the trust in the Church and the trust in the Church that has been broken by our mistakes and sins, and to heal the wounds that still bleed and the bonds of injustice  solve."  The celebration took place in a quiet, concentrated atmosphere in St. Peter's Basilica, which was not completely full.  Pope Francis, wearing a purple stole like the one priests wear when hearing confessions, followed the testimonies with a serious expression and often lowered eyes.  After the women and men's remarks, there was applause from those present in the rear area of ​​St. Peter's Basilica, and some of the bishops and cardinals present also applauded.  The act of penance also marked the end of the two days of retreat for the synod members who are taking part in the World Synod of Bishops on Synodality in the Vatican, which begins on Wednesday.

 Text of the intercession presented by Cardinal Christoph SCHÖNBORN:

 I ask for forgiveness and am ashamed of the obstacles we place in the way of building a truly synodal, common Church, conscious of being a holy people of God, walking together in recognition of the common dignity of baptism.  I ask for forgiveness and am ashamed for all the times when we did not listen to the Holy Spirit, but rather to ourselves and defended opinions and ideologies that hurt the fellowship of all in Christ, which we have at the end of time  Expect father.  I ask for forgiveness and am ashamed that we have turned authority into power, that we have stifled plurality, that we have not listened to people, that we have made it difficult for many brothers and sisters to participate in the mission of the Church, and that we  have forgotten that we are all called in history to become living stones of the one temple of the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ.  Forgive us, Lord.

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotnail.com

AMDG