Good letter from Pope Francis on clergy sexual abuse; My view on related matter: Far better to be ethical bhogi (enjoyer) than supposedly celibate male spiritual aspirant who lands into inappropriate sexual contact or worse with females
Warning: This post deals with sex abuse and other sexual matters. Those who do not want to read such matters should please skip reading the rest of this post.
Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis To the People of God, https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-08/pope-francis-letter-people-of-god-sexual-abuse.html, 20th August 2018.
Some extracts from Pope Francis' above letter are given below with my comments embedded within "[Ravi:" and "end-Ravi]" tags:
“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it” (1 Cor 12:26). These words of Saint Paul forcefully echo in my heart as I acknowledge once more the suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons. Crimes that inflict deep wounds of pain and powerlessness, primarily among the victims, but also in their family members and in the larger community of believers and nonbelievers alike. Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient. Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated. The pain of the victims and their families is also our pain, and so it is urgent that we once more reaffirm our commitment to ensure the protection of minors and of vulnerable adults.
[Ravi: I very much appreciate the above words of Pope Francis. The Holy Father has not tried to dodge the issue or get into denial. I particularly appreciate the words, "Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated." I think these words of Pope Francis should be followed by spiritual missions and ashram systems of various religions including Hinduism, all over the world. end-Ravi]
In recent days, a report was made public which detailed the experiences of at least a thousand survivors, victims of sexual abuse, the abuse of power and of conscience at the hands of priests over a period of approximately seventy years.
...
With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives. We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them. I make my own the words of the then Cardinal Ratzinger when, during the Way of the Cross composed for Good Friday 2005, he identified with the cry of pain of so many victims and exclaimed: “How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to [Christ]! How much pride, how much self-complacency! Christ’s betrayal by his disciples, their unworthy reception of his body and blood, is certainly the greatest suffering endured by the Redeemer; it pierces his heart. We can only call to him from the depths of our hearts: Kyrie eleison – Lord, save us! (cf. Mt 8:25)” (Ninth Station).
[Ravi: The reference to the report, I am quite sure, is the one mentioned in my recent blog post: Great job by Pennsylvania Grand Jury in documenting serious accusations of child sex abuse by Catholic church priests in Pennsylvania, USA; Will help in preventing future such abuse worldwide, http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2018/08/great-job-by-pennsylvania-grand-jury-in.html, dated 16th Aug. 2018. Pope Francis acknowledges with "shame and repentance" the failure of the Catholic church in this matter. I think this is the really tough part of religious community leadership. Pope Francis is having to say such words for the crimes of other priests in the Catholic church! My God! What a heavy burden such leadership can be! I pray to Lord Jesus Christ to give strength and courage to Pope Francis to bear this heavy burden and continue to act in a truthful and ethical way as demonstrated by this letter of his. end-Ravi]
...
I am conscious of the effort and work being carried out in various parts of the world to come up with the necessary means to ensure the safety and protection of the integrity of children and of vulnerable adults, as well as implementing zero tolerance and ways of making all those who perpetrate or cover up these crimes accountable. We have delayed in applying these actions and sanctions that are so necessary, yet I am confident that they will help to guarantee a greater culture of care in the present and future.
...
It is essential that we, as a Church, be able to acknowledge and condemn, with sorrow and shame, the atrocities perpetrated by consecrated persons, clerics, and all those entrusted with the mission of watching over and caring for those most vulnerable. Let us beg forgiveness for our own sins and the sins of others. An awareness of sin helps us to acknowledge the errors, the crimes and the wounds caused in the past and allows us, in the present, to be more open and committed along a journey of renewed conversion.
Likewise, penance and prayer will help us to open our eyes and our hearts to other people’s sufferings and to overcome the thirst for power and possessions that are so often the root of those evils. May fasting and prayer open our ears to the hushed pain felt by children, young people and the disabled. A fasting that can make us hunger and thirst for justice and impel us to walk in the truth, supporting all the judicial measures that may be necessary. A fasting that shakes us up and leads us to be committed in truth and charity with all men and women of good will, and with society in general, to combatting all forms of the abuse of power, sexual abuse and the abuse of conscience.
In this way, we can show clearly our calling to be “a sign and instrument of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race” (Lumen Gentium, 1).
[Ravi: The above words reaffirms my view that Pope Francis is a great spiritual leader and that the world has been blessed to have such a great leader of the large and important Roman Catholic community in the world. His leadership benefits even non Catholics like me, a Hindu who reveres and worships Lord Jesus Christ as a divine figure (but not the only divine figure and not the only way to salvation). end-Ravi]
...
May the Holy Spirit grant us the grace of conversion and the interior anointing needed to express before these crimes of abuse our compunction and our resolve courageously to combat them.
[Ravi: Amen. end-Ravi]
--- end extracts from Pope Francis letter ---
Ravi: I write the following from a male perspective. Sexual desire is a biological and emotional reality of life for most males, I guess. Some spiritual aspirants who choose to be celibate, which includes Catholic priests, may be able to master such sexual desire through spiritual practices. There surely have been many people in various parts of the world, including India, who have chosen to be celibate and have succeeded in being celibate.
But some male spiritual aspirants who have chosen the celibate spiritual aspirant path or life, struggle to master their sexual desire. This is not limited to Catholic priests. Some Hindu male spiritual aspirants who choose the celibate path also struggle to master their sexual desire.
The big problem comes when such male spiritual aspirants, perhaps due to lack of an outlet for their suppressed sexual desire, get into sexual abuse of children or of adults under their power. Such actions are criminal acts which may land the perpetrators in jail. In any case, such actions are negative karmic actions as they cause terrible suffering to those who are sexually abused. Hindu belief is that such perpetrators will suffer negative karmic consequences for their actions.
And sometimes the problem is a little less serious where such male spiritual aspirants may get into inappropriate deliberate sexual contact (touching or groping) with female adults, especially those that are under their power like employees of a spiritual mission or ashram system. Of course, it is still very undesirable and causes suffering to the female adults involved.
I think such male spiritual aspirants who have chosen a celibate life but are not able to master their sexual desires and so land into the above-mentioned problems, or seem to be headed in that direction, should acknowledge to themselves that they are not able to master their sexual desires. If they are already Catholic priests they should give up the Catholic priesthood (as that requires celibacy). If some such persons are in Hindu ashram systems as sannyasis they should give up their sannyasihood (as that too requires celibacy).
And then there may be some such male spiritual aspirants in Hindu ashram systems who are unmarried, are in their 40s or 50s and have acquired a reputation of being a saint (celibate). But the reality is that they are not able to master their sexual desires for women. Now these males should NOT get trapped into a sainthood (celibate) image that their fans and followers may have imposed on them. Let them instead acknowledge their biological and emotional reality. These persons should publicly refute any imposed sainthood (celibate) image that their fans may be trying to put or have put on them. And instead of getting into any of the above mentioned sexual abuse or inappropriate sexual contact (touch/groping) problems, they can choose to follow a non-celibate spiritual path. Then they can have a consensual ethical relationship with a female, and perhaps get married. Marriage for companionship and not raising a family due to the age issue, in my considered opinion, should be perfectly fine with the community and society at large, so long as the couple are fine with it.
In my considered view, it is far better to be an ethical bhogi (person who enjoys worldly pleasures including sexual pleasures) than a supposedly celibate Tyagajeevi (renunciate) who has the image of a saintly person or has that image imposed on him by his fans & followers, but who lands into inappropriate sexual contact or worse with females.
[I thank Pope Francis and the Vatican and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extracts from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]
Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis To the People of God, https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-08/pope-francis-letter-people-of-god-sexual-abuse.html, 20th August 2018.
Some extracts from Pope Francis' above letter are given below with my comments embedded within "[Ravi:" and "end-Ravi]" tags:
“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it” (1 Cor 12:26). These words of Saint Paul forcefully echo in my heart as I acknowledge once more the suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons. Crimes that inflict deep wounds of pain and powerlessness, primarily among the victims, but also in their family members and in the larger community of believers and nonbelievers alike. Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient. Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated. The pain of the victims and their families is also our pain, and so it is urgent that we once more reaffirm our commitment to ensure the protection of minors and of vulnerable adults.
[Ravi: I very much appreciate the above words of Pope Francis. The Holy Father has not tried to dodge the issue or get into denial. I particularly appreciate the words, "Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated." I think these words of Pope Francis should be followed by spiritual missions and ashram systems of various religions including Hinduism, all over the world. end-Ravi]
In recent days, a report was made public which detailed the experiences of at least a thousand survivors, victims of sexual abuse, the abuse of power and of conscience at the hands of priests over a period of approximately seventy years.
...
With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives. We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them. I make my own the words of the then Cardinal Ratzinger when, during the Way of the Cross composed for Good Friday 2005, he identified with the cry of pain of so many victims and exclaimed: “How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to [Christ]! How much pride, how much self-complacency! Christ’s betrayal by his disciples, their unworthy reception of his body and blood, is certainly the greatest suffering endured by the Redeemer; it pierces his heart. We can only call to him from the depths of our hearts: Kyrie eleison – Lord, save us! (cf. Mt 8:25)” (Ninth Station).
[Ravi: The reference to the report, I am quite sure, is the one mentioned in my recent blog post: Great job by Pennsylvania Grand Jury in documenting serious accusations of child sex abuse by Catholic church priests in Pennsylvania, USA; Will help in preventing future such abuse worldwide, http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2018/08/great-job-by-pennsylvania-grand-jury-in.html, dated 16th Aug. 2018. Pope Francis acknowledges with "shame and repentance" the failure of the Catholic church in this matter. I think this is the really tough part of religious community leadership. Pope Francis is having to say such words for the crimes of other priests in the Catholic church! My God! What a heavy burden such leadership can be! I pray to Lord Jesus Christ to give strength and courage to Pope Francis to bear this heavy burden and continue to act in a truthful and ethical way as demonstrated by this letter of his. end-Ravi]
...
I am conscious of the effort and work being carried out in various parts of the world to come up with the necessary means to ensure the safety and protection of the integrity of children and of vulnerable adults, as well as implementing zero tolerance and ways of making all those who perpetrate or cover up these crimes accountable. We have delayed in applying these actions and sanctions that are so necessary, yet I am confident that they will help to guarantee a greater culture of care in the present and future.
...
It is essential that we, as a Church, be able to acknowledge and condemn, with sorrow and shame, the atrocities perpetrated by consecrated persons, clerics, and all those entrusted with the mission of watching over and caring for those most vulnerable. Let us beg forgiveness for our own sins and the sins of others. An awareness of sin helps us to acknowledge the errors, the crimes and the wounds caused in the past and allows us, in the present, to be more open and committed along a journey of renewed conversion.
Likewise, penance and prayer will help us to open our eyes and our hearts to other people’s sufferings and to overcome the thirst for power and possessions that are so often the root of those evils. May fasting and prayer open our ears to the hushed pain felt by children, young people and the disabled. A fasting that can make us hunger and thirst for justice and impel us to walk in the truth, supporting all the judicial measures that may be necessary. A fasting that shakes us up and leads us to be committed in truth and charity with all men and women of good will, and with society in general, to combatting all forms of the abuse of power, sexual abuse and the abuse of conscience.
In this way, we can show clearly our calling to be “a sign and instrument of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race” (Lumen Gentium, 1).
[Ravi: The above words reaffirms my view that Pope Francis is a great spiritual leader and that the world has been blessed to have such a great leader of the large and important Roman Catholic community in the world. His leadership benefits even non Catholics like me, a Hindu who reveres and worships Lord Jesus Christ as a divine figure (but not the only divine figure and not the only way to salvation). end-Ravi]
...
May the Holy Spirit grant us the grace of conversion and the interior anointing needed to express before these crimes of abuse our compunction and our resolve courageously to combat them.
[Ravi: Amen. end-Ravi]
--- end extracts from Pope Francis letter ---
Ravi: I write the following from a male perspective. Sexual desire is a biological and emotional reality of life for most males, I guess. Some spiritual aspirants who choose to be celibate, which includes Catholic priests, may be able to master such sexual desire through spiritual practices. There surely have been many people in various parts of the world, including India, who have chosen to be celibate and have succeeded in being celibate.
But some male spiritual aspirants who have chosen the celibate spiritual aspirant path or life, struggle to master their sexual desire. This is not limited to Catholic priests. Some Hindu male spiritual aspirants who choose the celibate path also struggle to master their sexual desire.
The big problem comes when such male spiritual aspirants, perhaps due to lack of an outlet for their suppressed sexual desire, get into sexual abuse of children or of adults under their power. Such actions are criminal acts which may land the perpetrators in jail. In any case, such actions are negative karmic actions as they cause terrible suffering to those who are sexually abused. Hindu belief is that such perpetrators will suffer negative karmic consequences for their actions.
And sometimes the problem is a little less serious where such male spiritual aspirants may get into inappropriate deliberate sexual contact (touching or groping) with female adults, especially those that are under their power like employees of a spiritual mission or ashram system. Of course, it is still very undesirable and causes suffering to the female adults involved.
I think such male spiritual aspirants who have chosen a celibate life but are not able to master their sexual desires and so land into the above-mentioned problems, or seem to be headed in that direction, should acknowledge to themselves that they are not able to master their sexual desires. If they are already Catholic priests they should give up the Catholic priesthood (as that requires celibacy). If some such persons are in Hindu ashram systems as sannyasis they should give up their sannyasihood (as that too requires celibacy).
And then there may be some such male spiritual aspirants in Hindu ashram systems who are unmarried, are in their 40s or 50s and have acquired a reputation of being a saint (celibate). But the reality is that they are not able to master their sexual desires for women. Now these males should NOT get trapped into a sainthood (celibate) image that their fans and followers may have imposed on them. Let them instead acknowledge their biological and emotional reality. These persons should publicly refute any imposed sainthood (celibate) image that their fans may be trying to put or have put on them. And instead of getting into any of the above mentioned sexual abuse or inappropriate sexual contact (touch/groping) problems, they can choose to follow a non-celibate spiritual path. Then they can have a consensual ethical relationship with a female, and perhaps get married. Marriage for companionship and not raising a family due to the age issue, in my considered opinion, should be perfectly fine with the community and society at large, so long as the couple are fine with it.
In my considered view, it is far better to be an ethical bhogi (person who enjoys worldly pleasures including sexual pleasures) than a supposedly celibate Tyagajeevi (renunciate) who has the image of a saintly person or has that image imposed on him by his fans & followers, but who lands into inappropriate sexual contact or worse with females.
[I thank Pope Francis and the Vatican and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extracts from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]
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