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“Vulnerability and Abuse Congress
Pope Francis’ message to the 3rd Latin American Congress promoted by Ceprome
“To eradicate the scourge of abuse in all areas of society”
“see this problem with God’s eyes”
Esteemed Congressmen,
I greet you, organizers and participants of the Third Latin American Congress promoted by CEPROME entitled “Vulnerability and Abuse: Towards a Broader Vision of Prevention”, entrust to the Lord your work to continue to make progress in eradicating the scourge of abuse in all areas of society.
In my meeting on 25 September with a delegation of this Council, I underlined the Church’s commitment to see in each victim the face of the suffering Jesus.
There is also the need to place at His feet “the suffering we have received and caused”, and to pray “for the most unfortunate and desperate sinners, for their conversion, so that they may see in others the eyes of Jesus who challenge them”.
On that occasion I invited you, and I invite you again today, to see this problem with God’s eyes to enter into dialogue with Him.
This divinized gaze can help us to understand vulnerability, because the Lord “drew strength from weakness, and made frailty his own witness” (cf. Preface of the Martyrs, I).
God calls us to an absolute change of mentality in our conception of relationships, privileging the lesser, the poor, the servant, the ignorant over the greater, the rich, the master, the educated, on the basis of the ability to accept the grace that is given to us by God and to make ourselves a gift for others.
To see one’s own fragility as an excuse to stop being a serious and sincere Christian, of taking one’s destiny into one’s own hands, is to create childish, resentful people, and in no way represents the smallness to which Jesus invites us.
On the contrary, the strength of one who, like Saint Paul, is proud of his weaknesses and trusts in the grace of the Lord (cf. 2 Cor 12:8-10) is a gift that we must ask on our knees for ourselves and for others.
It will enable us to face the contradictions of life and to contribute to the common good in the vocation to which we have been called.
In regard to prevention, our work must undoubtedly be aimed at eliminating the situations that protect those who use their position as a shield to impose themselves on others in a perverted way,
but also to understand why they are unable to relate to others in a healthy way.
In the same way, it (our work) cannot be indifferent to why some people accept to go against their conscience, out of fear, or allow themselves to be deceived with false promises, knowing in the depths of their hearts that they are on the wrong path.
Humanizing relationships in any society, including the Church, means working with a common understanding of the human person. It is necessary to form mature, coherent people who, firm in their faith and ethical principles, are capable of confronting evil and of bearing witness to the truth in all its fullness.
A society that is not based on these assumptions of moral integrity will be a sick society, with human and institutional relationships distorted by selfishness, mistrust, fear and deception.
But we entrust our weakness to the strength that the Lord gives us.
And we recognize that “we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that it may appear that this ssurpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Cor 4:7).
Let us ask the King of martyrs for this grace to be his witnesses in the world.
May He bless you and may the Blessed Virgin protect you.
And please, don’t forget to pray for me.
Rome, Saint John Lateran, 1 March 2024
FRANCIS
