In Rome, the Catholic Church wants to make a global scandal: Decades of minors by clerics were abused. But in the Church state it is currently also the future of the Church.
Like two open arms of the colonnade to anyone who enters St. Peter’s square embrace. It is an impressive reception, which provides every year more than four million visitors, and above all the Catholic pilgrims, is: Welcome to the heart of the Catholic Church.
A dramaturgy that is deliberately created after the Reformation. “The Vatican was built as a Theater,” says the Church historian Massimo Faggioli. In the Vatican, the Catholic Church is ultimately the state: The smallest, but probably the most powerful city-state in the world – and a stage on which he wants to be under the critical eye of world public opinion these days one of its biggest crises.
In the centre of the Catholic Church: a view from St. Peter’s Basilica on St. Peter’s square
Already on Wednesday had gathered in front of the gates of the closed – off part of the Vatican city, a group – surrounded by cameras and journalists. Affected, victims, Survivors of sexual violence. They hold a Poster with colorful flags from around the world up. What is the international group have in common: you set yourself up for all victims of abuse, also the Name of the Catholic Church.
Victims from all over the world
The abuse crisis is a global Problem, the recognized head of the Church, Pope Francis. What began with revelations in Ireland, the USA and Germany, and drew more and more circles – and also because Pope Francis, in one of the darkest hours of his pontificate, the abuse allegations against Church people in Chile ignored his visit to the Andean country-the beginning of 2018 overshadowed, in the first place.
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Already in the autumn of Francis invited the presidents of the Episcopal conferences around the world to the crisis we are in session. Rarely have so many rank to meet high representatives of the Church, mostly to the choice of a Pope, the Conclave, when the doors of the Sistine chapel for days and only in a smoke signal, what’s happening right now.
Fog or enlightenment?
In these days, there should be no fog, the doors also responsible for the medal is open to communities around the world and around 70 professionals. “A goal must be that all the bishops to understand, it is a challenge that we must face all of us,” said cardinal Reinhard Marx, Chairman of the German bishops ‘ conference, immediately prior to the deliberations in Rome.
“In fact, sexual abuse is taking place wherever there is a Catholic Church occurs organized,” says Matthias Katsch of the German wave. Katsch was at the Berlin Canisius-Kolleg self-abuse by a priest, and is today the Chairman of this Jesuit school.
Also victims of abuse traveled to Rome
“The Meeting in the Vatican is back for the first Time in the focus: the structural Dimension of the cover-up of abuse, investigation of abuse and prevention of abuse,” said the German Jesuit Hans Zollner. The theologian and psychologist has prepared the conference. As President of the center for child protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he trains Church staff to the topic of the world.
Kiss on the hand of the Pope
“The contact with victims is very important, to feel what it’s about,” said Zollner of the DW. In the run-up to Pope Francis to all involved in the bishops given to the Assembly to speak in your diocese with Victims of sexual abuse. The Affected in front of the gates of the Vatican, that is not enough. The people in the Vatican.
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Abuse in the Catholic Church
“At such a Moment I have to wait a very long time; it will accompany me all my life,” said Marek Lisinski, after Francis had kissed the day before the conference. Since Lisinski had passed to the Pope, together with other Polish victims of abuse a report on the coverup of the crime in his country. For five years, he didn’t get an appointment with Church representatives in Poland, so Lisinski.
Bishops with a video message
It is questionable whether these public eyes are meant to be moments, in Rome, to be honest, or staging to stay. Because that other victims have to wait while in front of the gates of the Vatican and not to the Pope, “shows how little he has understood of the anger and despair of those who have not experienced this in his Church of sexual abuse”, criticized the German victims, representatives of the Katschberg on Twitter.
What is happening behind the Mighty walls of the Vatican, is almost documented live on the Internet. It’s supposed to be a “Meeting in solidarity, humility, and penance”, he stated on the conference website, the organizers also publish the impressions of the bishops after their talks in video messages.
“As significant as the Reformation”
Because not only the competing clerics within the walls of the Vatican have recognized that the interpretation of this meeting could change the Catholic Church is far-reaching. “The Opening of the Catholic Church is not something that the Church can control,” says Church historian Faggioli.
Forward? Or back in the past? The Church is in the direction of the armed
For him, the current abuse crisis is as significant as the Reformation: How then going to be corruption in the clergy, theological interpretations, and geopolitical tensions within the world Church. The more important it is that the Catholic Church is lost only in productions, but this conference seriously. The Italian bishops ‘ conference, is just known on the first day of abuse conference, to give a study on the subject in order, and come much too late.
Waiting for signals from Rome
Long ago the abuse scandal has triggered a debate on sexuality in the Catholic Church. Shortly before the conference and individual bishops are calling for, the obligation to celibacy – a life of Spiritual sexual abstinence cancel. The same time of the Vatican in Rome provides close to the idea of a book on homosexuality in the clergy for headlines.
“It’s about sending signals,” says Faggioli of the DW. The Peter offers space to Sunday the stage. “The Problem is, what happens on this stage,” said Faggioli. What is happening here in the coming days, will decide whether, in the future, Conservative or Reformer, set the tone in Rome.