“I saw the Pope weep.”

"Ho visto il Papa piangere"

"I saw the Pope weep."

There is a story in Italian in La Stampa about the meeting of Pope Benedict XVI in Malta with victims of clerical abuse when they were children.  

I teased out his quotes.

One of the outspoken victim, Lawrence Grech, said,

"I saw the Pope weep from emotion and I felt myself freed of a great weight."

"I did not expect excuses from the Pope but I say in him and in the bishop of Malta the humility of a Church which in that moment represented the entire problem of the modern Church."

"He put his hand on the head of each one of the participants in the meeting, blessing them.  I felt myself freed and relieved of a great weight."

"For a long time I didn’t go to Mass any more and I had lost faith, but now I feel myself a convinced Catholic."

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
This entry was posted in Clerical Sexual Abuse and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

33 Comments

  1. Hidden One says:

    Pope of Liturgical Restoration.
    Pope of Christian Unity.
    Pope of Healing.

    Pope Benedict the Great.

  2. This is profoundly moving.
    Could the Pope’s detractors please read this; reflect; allow the heart to be softened?
    We can pray for this.
    We have a saintly Papa. We should be so grateful and thank the Lord from our hearts.
    No evil is so great that God cannot remove it. Pope Benedict has said so himself, on numerous occasions, even in the last day or so.
    There is no more to do than pray in silence; in thanksgiving and love.

  3. Geoffrey says:

    Laudetur Iesus Christus! Viva il Papa!

  4. Rachel Pineda says:

    What a great blessing we have in our holy father. I love our Holy Father.

  5. gloriainexcelsis says:

    God bless and protect our Holy Father, a Good Shepherd.

  6. New Sister says:

    Thank you, Holy Spirit –

  7. I second Hidden One…Pope Benedict the Great. This is beautiful!

  8. MikeM says:

    Pope Benedict is such a wonderful man!

    It’s always so reassuring to see the personalities of the people in our hierarchy show through. Too often they’re portrayed as distant and far of. In moments like these, we see that Pope Benedict is, in a very real and down to earth sense, a good man.

  9. MargaretMN says:

    The Maltese are very devout. It’s hard to imagine how this man has gone through life separated from his culture and his faith at the same time. It must have been a profound loss that left him not only injured but alone. Some people may see Benedict’s gesture as merely symbolic but it’s pretty clear that the grace bestowed by the Holy Spirit is tangible in it’s effects.

  10. Mariana says:

    I’ve had enthusiastic reports from totally non-religious friends from Malta all day yesterday (Sunday), people are very happy about this meeting!

  11. Antonio says:

    ¡Viva el Papa!

  12. ghlad says:

    I saw on NBC news an actual video interview with one of the men who was abused as a small boy, and he was saying the same things (this may be a transcript of that interview, I’m not sure)… but it is amazing to watch and read what Pope Benedict has been able to do.

  13. sawdustmick says:

    A tear in MY eye, and a prayer on my lips for the victims.
    A prayer also for Our Holy Father.

    Deo Gratias.

    It is just a shame that the FACTS will not be reported in the MSM with the same enthusiasm as anything that is destructive.

  14. B flat says:

    It is heartening to read this story and the comments.
    The love is palpable. It is alive. And it works miracles.
    May this continue to the end of time.
    God bless Pope Benedict, and all his flock.

  15. Wayne NYC says:

    I thank the Holy Ghost for
    our beloved Holy Father Benedict XVI

  16. Jim of Bowie says:

    May Jesus give this man many more years to heal His Church.

  17. Grabski says:

    The army of contingency lawyers won’t like this story.

  18. JoyfulMom7 says:

    Thank you, Father Z, for sharing this with us. May we all follow the example of the Holy Father in offering prayers, love and compassion toward the victims (hopefully, the survivors!) of the tragic experience of being abused by those they had every reason to completely trust. May God have mercy on His Church and on us all, and grant us forgiveness toward those who have hurt the Church, to be at peace and have Christian charity toward all.

  19. meisterlowin says:

    Yes, thank you for sharing this. It is a spark of light in an otherwise dim veil of shadows. I hope more accounts like this come out in the msm.

  20. DisturbedMary says:

    The Year of the Priest is working. Keep praying. It doesn’t end till June 19.

  21. The Lord commanded Peter, “Strengthen your brothers.” And here we see that office, right before our eyes.

  22. Geometricus says:

    I saw another quote from this story in which the abused man said “I don’t want money from the church.” I think this is pretty common to most abuse victims, they just want healing…until someone like Count Jeffery Andersonacula gets a hold of them and convinces them to join his crusade to drain the church of money.

  23. irishgirl says:

    How very compassionate of our Papa-a true father!

    Hidden One, nazareth priest, sawdustmick-hear hear to your posts!

    I wish that SNAP and all the legal piranhas who are licking their chops over the Church would read this! And Geometricus-hear hear to your post, too!

  24. It reminds me of how Jesus wept over Jerusalem, so His Vicar weeps over the New Jerusalem.

  25. PostCatholic says:

    That’s a very touching story. I’m glad the Pope was able to offer victims such meaningful consolation.

  26. chloesmom says:

    BXVI is DA MAN!! May God bless him and continue to protect him. More and more I’m loving this wonderful Holy Father. Alleluia!

  27. irishgirl says:

    chloesmom-amen to that!

  28. HighMass says:

    Viva il Papa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  29. Mike says:

    I wonder how much of this Benedict “saw” five years ago? He knew then “where all the bodies are buried” and he would be the obvious target.

    He is clearly a man of supernatural courage!! Long may he reign!

  30. Tobiasquest says:

    Our Holy Father has the heart of the Lord Jesus.
    That’s what Jesus does….He reaches out to touch the hurting, and to weep with them….
    Imagine…this dear elderly German gentlemen… they are about as ‘reserved’ as the English no?
    but he hurt with them….
    Such beautiful tears….
    What a beautiful healing moment.

    A good Shepherd never runs when the wolves encircle the sheep…
    May God save and keep and preserve Our Dearest Holy Father…from the wolves….
    Amen.

  31. Jane says:

    This is wonderful.

  32. catholicmidwest says:

    This one is the saint. You’ll see.

  33. AnAmericanMother says:

    Tobias, the Germans are generally reticent — the Bavarians somewhat less so. I call them “good old boys in Lederhosen.” Still, a man of the Holy Father’s generation would keep a firm hold of his emotions in ordinary circumstances.

    These are extraordinary circumstances.

    How sweetly, how kindly, how gently he embraces these wounded sheep of his flock!

    The very best men are the ones who combine stark courage with gentle sweetness. He reminds me of the kindly old Opa that all the children love — but who is true steel at the core when any of his children are threatened.

    May he be spared to us for many years to come.

Comments are closed.