ROME (ITALY)
Crux
October 5, 2018
By Christopher White
One day after Pope Francis kicked off this month’s Vatican summit on young people by warning against a temptation to focus on “abstract ideologies” detached from the realities of young people, concrete topics ranging from sex abuse, LGBT issues, migration, and technology took center stage on Thursday.
Nearly 300 individuals are on hand for the Synod of Bishops, which is centered on the theme of “Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment.” The approximately 50 delegates that spoke on the first day didn’t waste time identifying what are expected to be some of the hottest topics in the month ahead.
Confronting the “Crime and Sin” of Sex Abuse
Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport did not mince words, confronting the issue of sexual abuse in his opening salvo at his first Synod.
“It is a both a crime and a sin that has undermined the confidence and trust that young people must have in the Church’s leaders and the Church as an institution, so that they may again trust their priests and bishops to exercise true spiritual fatherhood, serve as adult figures in their lives and as authentic mentors of faith,” said the Brooklyn native.
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