Denver Catholic

4 MARCH 9-22, 2019 | DENVER CATHOLIC In-Depth Sundays: Kids Eat FREE / Tilapia Tuesdays: $1.00 per piece / Wednesdays: Senior Discount! We Cater! We Can Fry Onsite! Call catering line 303.717.2712 Get Your Fish Here On Fridays British Style Fish & Chips www.gbfishandchips.com 1311 S. Broadway Denver, CO 80210 720-570-5103 2175 Sheridan (Sloan's Lake) Edgewater, CO 80214 303-232-2128 5325 E. Colfax Denver, CO 80220 303-333-4551 7401 Ralston Rd. Arvada, CO 80003 303-420-9897 Following summit, Church will focus on 8 points in 'all-out battle' against abuse BY COURTNEY GROGAN/ CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY A t the closing of the Vatican summit on sexual abuse, Pope Francis outlined eight points that the Church will focus on in an "all- out battle" against the sexual abuse of minors to, he said, "turn this evil into an opportunity for purification." "We need to recognize with humility and courage that we stand face to face with the mystery of evil, which strikes most violently against the most vulner- able, for they are an image of Jesus," Pope Francis said Feb. 24 following the Vatican summit's closing Mass in the Sala Regia. "For this reason, the Church has now become increasingly aware of the need not only to curb the gravest cases of abuse by disciplinary measures and civil and canonical processes, but also to decisively confront the phenomenon both inside and outside the Church," he continued. The pope's closing address for the Vatican sex abuse summit Feb. 21 - 24 was filled with statistics on the overall phenomenon of all child sexual abuse worldwide, most of which occurs within the context of the family, Pope Francis pointed out. However, these statistics can only provide explanation of the phenomenon, but not the meaning behind the acts, the pope said. The meaning behind child sex abuse comes from "the present-day manifes- tation of the spirit of evil," he said, later adding that consecrated persons who commit such crimes become "tools of Satan." "Today we find ourselves before a manifestation of brazen, aggressive and destructive evil," he said. "We need to take up the spiritual means that the Lord himself teaches us: humiliation, self-accusation, prayer and penance. This is the only way to overcome the spirit of evil. It is how Jesus himself overcame it." Building upon the World Health Organization's "Seven Strategies for Ending Violence against Children," the pope presented eight guidelines to aid the Church in "developing her legislation" on the issues. The eight guidelines can be summa- rized as follows: 1. A "change of mentality" to focus on protecting children rather than "protecting the institution." 2. A recognition of the "impeccable seriousness" of these "sins and crimes of consecrated persons." 3. A genuine purification beginning with "self-accusation." 4. Positive formation of candidates for the priesthood in the virtue of chastity. 5. Strengthening and reviewing of guidelines by episcopal conferences, rea¨rming the need for "rules." 6. The accompaniment of those who have been abused with an emphasis on listening. 7. Ensure that seminarians and clergy are not enslaved to an addiction to pornography. 8. Combat sexual tourism around the world. "The Church's aim will thus be to hear, watch over, protect and care for abused, exploited and forgotten children, wherever they are," Pope Francis said. "To achieve that goal, the Church must rise above the ideological disputes Pope Francis attends a closing Mass of 'The Protection Of Minors In The Church' meet- ing at the Regia Hall on Feb. 24 in Vatican City. The papal summit 'Protection of Minors in the Church,' held in the Vatican Feb. 21-24, brought together Presidents of Episco- pal Conferences and those responsible for religious orders world- wide to discuss the crisis of abuse within the Catholic Church. PHOTO BY FRANCO ORIGLIA | GETTY IMAGES

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