Thank you for sharing this. In Canada the mainstream news has been focusing on all of the negative about the visit, blaming the Catholic Church for the schools and reinforcing the false notion that the Pope has not already apologized for these grave sins years ago. It was nice to read this interview and read about the preparations from the people who are actually part of the visit. This priest sounds like he understands his role, the role of the church and the purpose of this visit very clearly. Gives me hope it will be fruitful.
The Pontificate of Francis will be remembered for his outreach to the different indigenous peoples of South and North America. However, it's not just Pope Francis, but previous Popes that have also offered apologies for the sins of the clergy and religious to those groups who have been mistreated--including African slaves. The Church is made up of sinners, and some have done great evils. However, in fairness to the Church, those same evils, like child molestation, physical abuse, financial scandals, and so on, are widespread throughout many secular institutions in both north and south America who are also held to high moral and ethical standards. Jesus spoke of those evils acts that will occur, even in His Church, in his parable on the kingdom of heaven. Jesus speaks of the evil one planting weeds among the wheat in His Church (the kingdom) in Matthew 13: 24-30. There are definitely "weeds" growing within the Church--the people of God. I'm glad to see Pope Francis' trying to heal wounds through His apology. I'm also glad to hear some voices among the leaders of those indigenous peoples acknowledging the need for reconciliation.
I also like the quote that not everyone is ready to forgive/forget, but they have to start with what they have (though, to be fair, sounds like people have been trying to start process for years). May this visit help in the process for all those affected.
Thank you for sharing this. In Canada the mainstream news has been focusing on all of the negative about the visit, blaming the Catholic Church for the schools and reinforcing the false notion that the Pope has not already apologized for these grave sins years ago. It was nice to read this interview and read about the preparations from the people who are actually part of the visit. This priest sounds like he understands his role, the role of the church and the purpose of this visit very clearly. Gives me hope it will be fruitful.
The Pontificate of Francis will be remembered for his outreach to the different indigenous peoples of South and North America. However, it's not just Pope Francis, but previous Popes that have also offered apologies for the sins of the clergy and religious to those groups who have been mistreated--including African slaves. The Church is made up of sinners, and some have done great evils. However, in fairness to the Church, those same evils, like child molestation, physical abuse, financial scandals, and so on, are widespread throughout many secular institutions in both north and south America who are also held to high moral and ethical standards. Jesus spoke of those evils acts that will occur, even in His Church, in his parable on the kingdom of heaven. Jesus speaks of the evil one planting weeds among the wheat in His Church (the kingdom) in Matthew 13: 24-30. There are definitely "weeds" growing within the Church--the people of God. I'm glad to see Pope Francis' trying to heal wounds through His apology. I'm also glad to hear some voices among the leaders of those indigenous peoples acknowledging the need for reconciliation.
I love the logistics article. very interesting.
I also like the quote that not everyone is ready to forgive/forget, but they have to start with what they have (though, to be fair, sounds like people have been trying to start process for years). May this visit help in the process for all those affected.