PANAMA CITY — As Pope
Francis was arriving in Panama Jan. 23, bishops from the United States wasted
no time addressing the sex abuse scandal back home during a popular event aimed
at American and other English-speaking World Youth Day pilgrims.
"It's not easy
being Christian, it's not easy being Catholic ... especially today when things
in the church are difficult," said Dallas Bishop Edward J. Burns,
addressing the sex abuse scandal in a room of hundreds of U.S. young adults
attending the FIAT Festival for U.S. pilgrims at Panama's Figali Convention
Center. The event was sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the
Knights of Columbus and FOCUS.
"How often do we
hear our friends say to us: I'm done, I'm bowing out. I will have no more of
this, " Bishop Burns said. "My friends, I want you to tell your
friends that you'd never separate yourself from Jesus because of Judas. You'd
never do that!"
Many in the room
applauded.
"Yes, you look at
the church today," he continued, "and there have been some who have
betrayed us, some even in church leadership."
But he told the pilgrims
to "stay strong, stayed focused, stay steady."
The message was well
received by those in the room, including Kennedy Horter, 16, of Indiana.
"I don't let people
come between me and God," said Horter, wrapped in a U.S. flag.
She said she was not
going to judge priests and other good people in the church by the actions of
men who likely were never priests "spiritually."
Like other pilgrims, she
did not seem to be bothered by the open conversation, which was mixed in with
accounts by other young people who spoke of overcoming difficulties, of lives
of prayer, and challenges in life. But the situation in the U.S. church seemed
to weigh on the minds of many, and the bishops stressed that, in this situation
and in other moments of difficulty, Christ must be the anchor.
Bishop Frank Caggiano of
Bridgeport, Conn., also addressed the scandal while speaking to the pilgrims;
he spoke to them about choices. He said there's one choice in life, most important
above all others.
"There can be only
one person who sits at the center of your life — and mine," he said.
"That person is Jesus, and anyone and anything that takes his place is not
a choice worth making today. I ask you, don't be afraid to choose Jesus. Don't
be afraid to choose light!"
Sister Lucia Richardson
of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration said she was glad the
bishops had addressed the "elephant in the room" and discussed
"this ugly reality," one that she hears concerns about from young
Catholics who speak with her.
Bishop Caggiano said he
was deeply sorry for the times the church has "failed you, and anyone in
the church has failed you. I am deeply sorry," he said.
"I ask you in this
time of shadows and darkness to join with me and all others who wish to move
forward and allow our church to be healed and transformed and purified,"
he said.
But members of the
church are facing choices, he said.
"It seems to me, in
the time in which we live in the church, it is a time of spiritual twilight,"
he said. "For there are shadows, there are sins in our midst."
The sin and crime and
abuse of young people has deeply destroyed many lives and broken trust with the
leadership of the church, he said.
Brian Florin, 24, a
seminarian at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., said it was
important to be open and to talk about the scandal, even at World Youth Day,
because it's a point of pain for those in the church in the U.S.
Bishop Caggiano said
this is the time when many are considering choices, and he continually referred
to the image of dark and light during the day.
"What do we want?
The dawn or the dusk? Do we want the dawn where you and I seek holiness of life
lived in ordinary ways and bring the light of Christ to whomever we meet? Or will
we sit back and say 'the darkness is here and I surrender to it,'" he
said. "What is it that you or I will choose? I can say to you, as my
family in Christ, I stand before you, with every ounce of energy and grace God
has given me, and say that I will choose the dawn and I ask you, are you ready
to choose the dawn?"
Bishop Burns reminded
pilgrims that the church had lived with scandal from the beginning, including
the betrayal of Jesus, but reminded them of Peter and Jesus.
"We're going to
survive this. Our Lord promised 'on this rock I will build my church.' Step up
and continue to have the strength," he said to great applause.