Reuters, March 31, 2010
VIENNA (Reuters) - The Catholic Church as a whole must accept its guilt
and its collective responsibility for sexual abuse committed by its
members, Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said on Wednesday.
Schoenborn was addressing 3,000 believers in an emotional and
unconventional mass ahead of Easter entitled "We are furious, God!" and
devoted solely to the theme of abuse. The church has been shaken by
revelations of sexual abuse by priests several European countries and of
cover-ups by the hierarchy.
"Some of us have talked about the gracious God and yet done evil to
those who were entrusted to them," Schoenborn said in Vienna's gothic
St. Stephen's Cathedral in a ceremony held with the critical lay group
"We Are Church" and abuse victims.
"Some of us have used sexual violence... Some of us have robbed boys and
girls of their childhood," he said in a part of the service he read
together with an Austrian theologian.
Schoenborn, who was brought into the prominent Vienna position after his
predecessor quit amid sexual abuse charges in 1995, also admitted
cover-ups. "For some of us, the church's immaculate appearance was more
important than anything else."
"We, the people of God, His church, carry this guilt together," he said.
"We confess our guilt to the many whom we have wronged as church, and
whom some of us have wronged very directly."
A wave of reports of child sexual abuse in Austrian Catholic
institutions was triggered by the resignation of the arch-abbot of
Salzburg's St Peter's monastery earlier this month after admitting to
sexually abusing a boy 40 years ago.
CHURCH HOTLINES
During the Wednesday evening service, accounts of abuse victims or their
relatives were read that told of their suffering, even years or decades
later, of anger against the perpetrators and the Church who did not
hold them accountable.
Similar revelations in church and secular institutions in Germany have
also encouraged more Austrian victims to report cases, many of which
happened decades ago. More than 500 have called regional church hotlines
for victims this year so far.
"It's a painful experience for the church. But what is this pain
compared to the pain of the victims that we have ignored," he said.
"When those victims now speak, then God is speaking to us, to His
church, to awaken and to cleanse us."
Recent abuse scandals in European countries including Germany, Ireland
and the Netherlands have shaken the Vatican
and led to calls for an end to priestly celibacy, a cleanout of the
Catholic Church hierarchy and the resignation of the Pope, although this
is seen as unlikely.
Schoenborn, a close advisor and former student of Pope
Benedict, has already called for the Church to openly discuss taboo
issues such as celibacy, priestly training and more liberal social
attitudes to sex.
Schoenborn has been one of the most open prelates toward victims' abuse
groups and has dismissed tendencies in the Church to sidestep criticism
by blaming anti-catholic media bias and pointing to abuse in secular
context.
"Abuse within the Church is particularly severe because it disgraces the
holy name of God," he said.
