Pope: to the US bishops, unity and conversion are needed to recover credibility

Francis writes to the United States bishops ahead of their retreat. The Church wounded by abuses must not believe that necessary forms of reorganization are sufficient. Abandon the temptation of  "a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships ".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Church of the United States to recover its credibility, "wounded" by the scandal of abuse, must not believe that that necessary forms of reorganization are sufficient, but must seek conversion, Pope Francis writes in a long letter to the bishops of the United States, gathered from yesterday until January 8 in Chicago for a week of spiritual exercises.

In the document, the Pope also warns against falling into the temptation to arouse " a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships ". "All efforts must break the vicious circle of recrimination, undercutting and discrediting, by avoiding gossip and slander in the pursuit of a path of prayerful and contrite acceptance of our limitations and sins, and the promotion of dialogue, discussion and discernment. This will dispose us to finding evangelical paths that can awaken and encourage the reconciliation and credibility that our people and our mission require of us".

Francis reveals, first of all, that he was the one who suggested the spiritual exercises to which he intended to participate personally. But " Despite my best efforts, I will not be able, for logistical reasons, to be physically present with you. This letter is meant in some way to make up for that journey which could not take place".

"In recent years, - the Pope notes - the Church in the United States has been shaken by various scandals that have gravely affected its credibility. These have been times of turbulence in the lives of all those victims who suffered in their flesh the abuse of power and conscience and sexual abuse on the part of ordained ministers, male and female religious and lay faithful. But times of turbulence and suffering also for their families and for the entire People of God. ".

" The Church’s credibility has been seriously undercut and diminished by these sins and crimes, but even more by the efforts made to deny or conceal them ". "We know that the sins and crimes that were committed, and their repercussions on the ecclesial, social and cultural levels, have deeply affected the faithful. They have caused great perplexity, upset and confusion".

It is an " and generated not the sort of healthy and necessary disagreements and tensions found in any living body, but rather division and dispersion".

"The wound in credibility", writes Francis again, cannot be healed "by issuing stern decrees or by simply creating new committees or improving flow charts, as if we were in charge of a department of human resources.". A vision that reduces the mission of the pastor to a mere organizational task. These are "necessary but insufficient" measures. "The loss of credibility also raises painful questions about the way we relate to one another. Clearly, a living fabric has come undone, and we, like weavers, are called to repair it. This involves our ability, or inability, as a community to forge bonds and create spaces that are healthy, mature and respectful of the integrity and privacy of each person."

"This requires not only a new approach to management, but also a change in our mind-set (metanoia), our way of praying, our handling of power and money, our exercise of authority and our way of relating to one another and to the world around us. Changes in the Church are always aimed at encouraging a constant state of missionary and pastoral conversion capable of opening up new ecclesial paths ever more in keeping with the Gospel and, as such, respectful of human dignity.

Credibility, then, comes from "collegial awareness of our being sinners in need of constant conversion," " For we do not want to preach ourselves but rather Christ who died for us (cf. 2 Cor 4:5). We want to testify that at the darkest moments of our history the Lord makes himself present, opens new paths and anoints our faltering faith, our wavering hope and our tepid charity".

Francis then points out that " God’s faithful people and the Church’s mission continue to suffer greatly as a result of abuses of power and conscience and sexual abuse, and the poor way that they were handled, as well as the pain of seeing an episcopate lacking in unity and concentrated more on pointing fingers than on seeking paths of reconciliation. This situation forces us to look to what is essential and to rid ourselves of all that stands in the way of a clear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ".

An attitude that does not demands "nor applause for our actions but asks" we pastors the fundamental option of wanting to be a seed that will germinate when and where the Lord will best ". An option that saves from measuring the value of our efforts with the criteria of functionality and efficiency that govern the business world ". We must instead open ourselves to the "transforming power of the Kingdom of God". "We cannot allow ourselves, in the midst of the storm - writes the Pope - to lose faith in the silent, daily and working force of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men and of history".

"The Lord - concludes Francis - well aware that, at the hour of the cross, lack of unity, division and dispersion, as well as attempts to flee from that hour, would be the greatest temptations faced by his disciples – attitudes that would distort and hinder their mission. That is why he asked the Father to watch over them, so that at those times they would be one, even as he and the Father are one, and that none of them would be lost (cf. Jn 17:11-12). Entering with trust into Jesus’ prayer to the Father, we want to learn from him and, with firm resolve, to begin this time of prayer, silence and reflection, of dialogue and communion, of listening and discernment. In this way, we will allow him to conform our hearts to his image and help us discover his will".