Sexual abuse and abuse of power within religious orders are a reality the Church has begun to scrutinize closely. Pope Francis himself acknowledged the existence of this drama during his return trip to Rome from the United Arab Emirates.
POPE FRANCIS
“I cannot say that 'in my house this does not happen.' It's true. Do we have to do something else? Yes. Do we have the desire to do it? Yes, but it's a journey we've been on for quite some time.”
There have been accusations regarding religious women employed by bishops for domestic service. Some cases of religious being abused by clergymen, even within their own orders, have been brought to light. Many of these abuses are said to be the result of power-hungry people seeking authority.
JOSÉ RODRÍGUEZ CARBALLO
Secretary, Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life
“It's true that there are scandals. It's true that there is abuse of authority. It's true that there is sexual abuse. The Church wants to face all of this very seriously. Our Congregation [for Institutes of Consecrated Life] does too. If we hear about a case, we take action. The Church has set very clear norms, and we intend to follow them.”
The secretary of the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life, José Rodríguez Carballo, says the formation of people called to exercise authority should be a priority when considering them for election.
JOSÉ RODRÍGUEZ CARBALLO
Secretary, Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life
“It's urgent, very urgent, to form people who are called, not those who seek authority—for those who seek it often abuse their power. Here it would be good to discern the election of superiors. Not everyone is called.”
Discernment, formation and action are three key elements that make up the tools to face the situation.
JOSÉ RODRÍGUEZ CARBALLO
Secretary, Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life
“I know that leadership is spoken about a lot, also in the Church and in consecrated life. I personally prefer to use the term 'authority as service,' because etymologically speaking, authority means helping the other grow.”
Msgr. Carballo uses the expression “authority as service” to identify the main quality that superiors of religious orders should have to fight all sorts of abuse that cloud the virtues of consecrated life.
Daniel Díaz Vizzi
Translation: CT
