I’d like to bring your attention to an address the Holy Father gave today to the plenary meeting of the Pontifical Committee on the Family. His whole address can be found at the Vatican website (see link to the lower right), but it is only in Italian at this time. Here is an excerpt in English, my translation:
“Your Plenary Assemby has for its theme: ‘The Rights of Children’, chosen in reference to the 20th anniversary of the conventions approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations, in 1989. The Church for centuries, on the example of Christ, has promoted the dignity and rights of minors and, in many ways, has cared for them. Unfortunately, in various cases, some of its members, acting against this duty, have violated such rights — behavior that the Church does not now fail, nor will fail in the future, to deplore and condemn. The tenderness and the teaching of Jesus, who considered children a model for us to imitate in order to enter the Kingdom of God (cf. Mt 18: 1-6; 19: 13-14), have always constituted a pressing obligation to nuture a profound respect and concern for the children in our midst. The strong words of Jesus against any who would scandilize one of these little ones (cf. Mk 9:42) obliges us to never diminish this respect and love. Therefore the Convention on the rights of children has been accepted favorably by the Holy See, in that it contains positive statements regarding adoptions, health care, education, disabilities and the protection of little ones against violence, abbandonment, sexual exploitation and child labor.”
The Holy Father is speaking directly here about the problem of child sexual abuse. I suspect we will hear more from him in the near future regarding all of this.
God bless all our children.
