A survivor of sexual assault shared her past sufferings and hopes for the church’s future to the seminarians through a letter.
(Vatican News Network)The Committee for the Protection of Children of the Holy See has published a letter written by the victims of sexual assault by priests to the seminarians. This letter is published on the website of the Committee for the Protection of Children of the Holy See and is written in Italian. The chairman of the committee, Cardinal O’Malley, wrote a short introduction: “At this time of renewal and pastoral conversion, at a time when the church is faced with the trauma and scandals of many of the children of God everywhere, our Holy Father Pope Received a brave testimony from a survivor for all priests. The names of the victims have been hidden in accordance with the principle of anonymity. By sharing this testimony, Pope Francis hopes to receive the voices of all the wounded and serve all priests who preach the gospel We point out a way to truly serve God and benefit all the weak.”
In this letter to the seminarians, the survivor first stated that she chose to write a letter on behalf of all those who suffered the same pain. She explained that she was here, “because the church is her mother, and when the church was injured, she was also sad.” The survivor warned that “people who experience this kind of hypocrisy in childhood will never be able to erase this from their lives when they grow up.” “They may forget temporarily, try to forget, try to live a complete life, but the scars still remain in their hearts and will not disappear.”
The survivor explained the countless psychological struggles she faced every day after being violated, such as post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression and anxiety. She said frankly: “I am afraid of priests and afraid of approaching them.” The survivors called for the protection of the scarred church. “Please don’t let those wounds get deeper, and don’t let new ones appear again.” The survivor emphasized that seminarians are “strong young people who are called by God to serve God and serve the people through God.” “Please don’t sweep these things under the carpet.” If we swept the facts under the carpet and hid them, we would become accomplices. “If we want to live the truth, we can’t close our eyes.” The survivor finally shouted to the seminarians: “Please, please be a good priest.”
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