On the eve of the new synod, Pope asks forgiveness for a new index of sins

ROME – Before entering the final phase of a synod process that featured several novelties, including lay participation and women’s right to vote, he led a penitential service in which he asked for forgiveness for a new list of sins.

That list included sins against synodality and “using doctrine as stones to be hurled at others.”

During the Oct. 1 penitential service in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope said: “The Church is always the Church of the poor in spirit and of sinners seeking forgiveness, and not only of the righteous and the saints, but rather, of the righteous and saints who consider themselves poor and sinners.’

He said he had written down the requests for forgiveness himself, read by several cardinals during the liturgy, “because it was necessary to mention our sins by name.”

During the liturgy, Cardinal Oswald Gracious of Bombay asked forgiveness for “the sin of lack of courage, the courage necessary to seek peace and recognize the dignity of every human being,” as well as the inability to live life “in all its phases.” to respect.

“Making peace requires courage: to say yes to the encounter and no to the clash; yes to keeping agreements and no to provocations; yes to sincerity and no to duplicity,” he said, asking forgiveness for justifying war and discrimination.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service for Integral Human Development, asked forgiveness for sins against creation, indigenous peoples and migrants, addressing the exploitation of the earth and colonialist instincts, and asking forgiveness for participating in “the globalization of the world”. indifference.”

Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archbishop Emeritus of Boston and chairman of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, asked forgiveness for the sin of abuse, including abuse of conscience, abuse of power and sexual abuse.

He specifically prayed “for all the times we used the condition of an ordained ministry and a consecrated life to commit this terrible sin, feeling safe and protected while diabolically taking advantage of the little ones and the poor.”

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, asked forgiveness for sins against women, the family and young people.

He asked for forgiveness on behalf of all in the Church, “especially us men, who are ashamed of all the times we failed to recognize and defend the dignity of women, because when we called them stupid and succubiand not infrequently exploited, especially in the circumstances of a consecrated life.”

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, asked forgiveness for “all the times when we in the Church, especially we pastors entrusted with the task of confirming our brothers and sisters in the faith, have been unable to to guard the Gospel and present it as a living source of eternal newness, ‘indoctrinating’ it and risking reducing it to a pile of dead stones thrown at others.”

“I beg forgiveness, I am ashamed of all the times we have doctrinally justified inhumane treatment,” and of attempts to hinder the “various legitimate inculturations of the truth of Jesus Christ,” he said.

Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, Archbishop of Rabat, asked for forgiveness for turning the head the other way “before the Sacrament of the Poor, preferring to decorate ourselves and the altar with guilty valuables that steal bread from the hungry.”

He also asked forgiveness for yielding to the “temptation of power and the flattery” of privilege and title, and for remaining closed in “self-referentiality” and thus failing to reach the physical and existential periphery.

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, asked forgiveness for the failure to “build a truly synodal, symphonic Church, aware that she is a holy people of God, walking together and recognizing the common worthiness of baptism.”

He prayed for forgiveness for “preferring to listen to ourselves, defending opinions and ideologies that harmed the fellowship of all in Christ,” and for turning “authority into power, stifling plurality, not listening to people, thereby became difficult for many brothers and sisters’. to participate in the mission of the Church.”

In addition to the requests for forgiveness, three testimonies were also given, representing victims of sexual abuse, war and the problems of migration.

Sister Deema from Homs, Syria, spoke of the civil war that has torn her country apart, which she said has led to “the rejection of all forms of empathy, the labeling of the other as an enemy and even in extreme cases the dehumanization of him/her . and justifying their murder.”

It will take “extraordinary effort” to repair relationships, she said, calling for a commitment to “nonviolent resistance.”

Laurence, a singer from South Africa, spoke about being sexually abused by a priest as an 11-year-old, and about the lasting psychological toll the abuse takes on victims, their families and their communities, and about the difficulty for survivors to speak out and speak out. lack of transparency in the Church.

“For decades, allegations were ignored, covered up or handled internally rather than reported to authorities. This lack of accountability has not only allowed abusers to continue their behavior, but has also eroded the trust that so many once placed in the institution,” he said.

He said the Church’s unwillingness to address these crimes has been “a disservice to the victims and a betrayal of the Church’s ethical and spiritual responsibilities.”

He also spoke about the impact of the scandals on society, saying they have damaged the Church’s credibility and broken trust.

“When an institution as prominent as the Catholic Church fails to protect its most vulnerable members, it sends the message that justice and responsibility are negotiable – when in reality they should be fundamental,” he said.

Sara, director of Fondazione Migrantes, spoke about her experiences working with migrants near the Italian island of Lampedusa, noting that many who come into their care are traumatized, malnourished and “have been victims of all kinds of violence. ”

Pope Francis said in his own remarks that sin is something that always wounds relationships, first and foremost with God and also with others.

“No one is saved alone, but it is equally true that the sin of one affects many,” he said, saying that the Church “in its essence of faith and proclamation is always rational, and only by healing sick relationships we can heal a synodal Church.”

The Church and the faithful, he said, must acknowledge their mistakes in order to heal wounds and be credible witnesses.

This starts with confessing your sins, he said, wondering how often believers have given space only to themselves and their ideas, judgments and beliefs, without making room for God or others.

“Today we are all like the publican, we have lowered our eyes and are ashamed of our sins. Like him, we are lagging behind and clearing the space occupied by presumption, hypocrisy and pride,” he said.

Francis emphasized that it is not possible to invoke God’s name without also asking forgiveness of the brothers and sisters, but also of the earth and all creatures.

“Given the fact of evil and the suffering of the innocent, we ask: where are you, Lord? But we must ask ourselves and ask ourselves what responsibilities we have if we are unable to stop evil with good.”

Believers cannot “pretend to resolve conflicts by inciting violence that becomes increasingly brutal, to redeem ourselves by inflicting pain, to redeem ourselves with the death of the other,” he said.

It is necessary to confess your sins before the synod to restore trust and make your testimony more credible, he said, “we must do our part and even make mistakes.”

“We continue with our mission as best we can, but now we turn to you, young people who expect us to pass on our testimony, and also ask your forgiveness if we have not been credible,” he said .

Pope Francis concluded his prayer asking for forgiveness “for all our sins” and asking God to help the Church “to restore your face, which we have disfigured through our infidelity. We ask forgiveness, because we are ashamed, of those who have been hurt by our sins.”

The Synod of Bishops on Synodality, which was formally opened by the Pope in October 2021, is a multi-stage consultation process that has unfolded at local, national, continental and universal levels.

After an initial meeting in Rome last year, which marked the first time that lay people were generally allowed to participate and that women were given the right to vote, the synod will culminate this month with the meeting in Rome from October 2 to 27, bringing together 368 prelates from across the whole world.

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