The Pope faces abuse scandals and presents a template for Catholicism in the secular environment

ROME – In a country still grappling with a deep crisis over clergy sexual abuse, Pope Francis on Saturday bitterly acknowledged that such abuse “causes terrible suffering and wounds,” vowing that the path to reform includes learning from survivors.

The reality of abuse, the pope said, can even “undermine the path of faith.”

“A great dose of mercy is needed so that we do not harden our hearts to the suffering of the victims, so that we can help them feel our closeness and offer all possible help,” the pope said.

“We must learn from them (…) to be a Church at the service of all, without diminishing anyone,” Francis said. “Indeed, one of the roots of violence is the abuse of power when you use your position to crush or manipulate others.”

The pope’s remarks were made during a session with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and pastoral workers in Belgium, which took place at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Koekelberg district of Brussels.

The comments came a day after Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo publicly challenged the pope over the abuse scandals, and a day after Francis’ meeting with abuse survivors was dismissed as mere PR by a group of supporters. who added: “An apology without effective reforms is unacceptable.” worse than senseless. It’s disrespectful.”

RELATED: Supporters say pope’s meeting with survivors of violence doesn’t go far enough

On Saturday morning, the pope responded to questions asked by Mia De Schamphelaere, who works at a Flemish center for victims of violence.

“How can the Church see, recognize and learn from the wounds of survivors?” – De Schamphelaere asked the Pope.

“How can we build a church culture in which all, young and old, men and women, feel safe, protected and cared for, where openness and mutual respect come naturally?” she asked.

“How can every power maintain balance and every policy become transparent?” De Schamphelaere also asked.

Francis thanked De Schamphelaere “for the great effort you make to transform anger and pain into help, closeness and compassion.”

In a speech to civil authorities in Belgium on Friday, Pope Francis called sexual abuse “a scourge against which the Church is fighting resolutely and resolutely, listening to and accompanying those who have been wounded, and implementing a preventive program throughout the world.”

RELATED: Pope in Belgium calls for peace, condemns abuse and forced adoptions

Belgium has been hit particularly hard by clergy abuse scandals, including the high-profile case of former bishop Roger Vangheluwe, who resigned after pleading guilty to abusing minors, including two of his own nephews.

In another part of his Saturday remarks, Pope Francis seemed to try to outline a template for living by faith in a deeply secular culture. Belgium is consistently rated as one of the most secular societies in the world, with actual Mass participation rates may be as little as three percent.

Saying that all this is causing a crisis in the Church, Francis insisted that this does not mean turning off the lights.

“We have moved from a Christianity placed in a friendly social framework to a ‘minority’ Christianity, or better yet, a Christianity of witness,” he said.

“This requires the courage to undertake an ecclesial conversion, to enable those pastoral changes that concern our usual ways of acting,” the Pope said, “and the language in which we express our faith, so that it is truly oriented towards evangelization.”

Francis said priests must play a special role in this transformation.

“Priests need the courage to be priests who not only preserve or steward a past inheritance, but shepherds in love with Jesus Christ and attentive to responding to the often hidden demands of the Gospel, walking with God’s holy people,” he said.

“In doing so, they sometimes get ahead of their people, sometimes among them, and sometimes behind them,” he said.

The Pope also called for a deeper appreciation of diversity in the Church.

“There is a place for everyone in the Church and no one should be just a copy of anyone else,” he said. “Unity in the Church is not about uniformity, but about finding harmony in diversity!”

As for the church’s leitmotif in a sometimes hostile culture, Francis, citing his predecessor Benedict XVI, said it must be joy.

“Long before he became pope, Joseph Ratzinger wrote that one of the special principles of discernment is: ‘Where joy is missing and humor dies, not even the Holy Spirit remains… and vice versa: joy is a sign of grace,’” he said .

“May your preaching, your celebrations, your service and apostolate radiate the joy of your hearts, because this will raise questions and attract even those who are far away,” Francis said.