Abuse, Pope: ‘It fills us with shame, urgent to strengthen training’

Rome, 22 Dec. (LaPresse) – ‘In recent decades, the crisis of trust in the Church caused by abuses committed by members of the clergy, which fill us with shame and call us to humility, has made us even more aware of the urgent need for comprehensive training that ensures the growth and human maturity of candidates for the priesthood, together with a rich and solid spiritual life.’ This can be read in “A Fidelity that Generates a Future”, an apostolic letter from Pope Leo XIV released on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Conciliar Decrees “Optatam Totius” and “Presbyterorum Ordinis”, promulgated on 28 October and 7 December 1965, respectively. ‘The theme of formation,’ explains the Pope, “is also central to addressing the phenomenon of those who, after a few years or even decades, abandon the ministry. This painful reality, in fact, should not be interpreted solely in legal terms, but requires us to look with attention and compassion at the history of these brothers and the many reasons that may have led them to such a decision. And the response to be given is, first and foremost, a renewed commitment to formation, whose goal is “a journey of familiarity with the Lord that involves the whole person, heart, intelligence, freedom, and shapes them in the image of the Good Shepherd”.”