Australian Catholic bishops have called upon Catholics to fast and pray during the first four days of Lent “in sorrow for child sexual abuse and the healing of victims”.
In a message to the Catholic community for the beginning of Lent, the bishops said that with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse having handed down its final report, “our country and our Church enter into a new moment”.
“We are calling upon the Catholic community in Australia to embrace this new moment by beginning the penitential season of Lent with four days of fasting and reparation,” they wrote. “These are spiritual practices which express our desire for God’s reconciling and healing grace.”
“Through fasting, we stand in solidarity with the victims and survivors of abuse whose much deeper hunger is for healing and peace in their lives. Through reparation, we make amends for the sin of those in the Church who abused children or failed to listen and act when they should have. The days of fasting and reparation in sorrow for child sexual abuse and for the healing of victims and survivors will be marked by prayer – in our homes and in our Catholic communities.”
The bishops said that while the church’s apologies “have at time [sic] seemed too little”, that wasn’t because they were insincere but because “trust has been broken”.
“We stand firm in our resolve to ensure that the abuse of children never happens again in the Catholic Church and to build new bonds of trust.”
The Days of Fasting and Reparation run from Ash Wednesday (14th February) until the following Saturday (17th February).
Resources can be found at www.catholic.org.au/fastingandreparation.
