The Pope Francisco was in favor of introducing psychological itineraries in seminaries that prepare future priests as a method to prevent sexual abuse of minors.
“In my opinion, it is very useful. For all that has happened; clergy sexual abuse of minors has dramatically highlighted this problem. It is necessary to know, before priestly ordination, if there are inclinations to abuse”, the Pope assessed in a conversation with the Italian psychotherapist Salvo Noè who prefaced the book ‘La paura come dono’ (‘Fear as a gift’), by the Editorial San Pablo and published on January 25.
In his opinion, if they are not recognized, these problems can have “devastating” effects. In the same way, he appreciates that the seminary is not “a refuge” for the “many limitations” that people may have, nor for “psychological deficiencies”. “Along with the other teachings and spiritual paths, having a psychologist as a guide in personal maturation can be helpful. All this to understand the aspect of human and Christian maturity and Christian maturity and possible problems of a psychological nature, ”he says.
In this way, in the text, to which he has had access Europe Pressreveals that in the past he has met priests who “were not very convinced of his choice”. For the Pontiff, the formation of priests must activate “awareness of vocation”. “It is better to lose a vocation than to take a risk with an insecure candidate”, he stresses.
The Pope also speaks of the difficulties of families, which in his opinion are always overcome “with love”. “Certainly there is no perfect family, there are no perfect spouses, perfect parents or perfect children, but people who, through love and good communication, can always find a Christian way to face difficult times”, he says.
Furthermore, in the book, the Pope urges not to “judge” or “marginalize” homosexuals after assuring that God’s style is “closeness, mercy and tenderness”.
“God is Father and does not deny any of his children. And God’s style is closeness, mercy and tenderness. Don’t judge and marginalize. God approaches each of his children with love, each and every one of them. His heart is open to one and all. He is Father. Love does not divide, but unites ”, he assures.
Francisco recounts in the book his feelings during these years of Pontificate, from his election in the Conclave and reveals that he is also sometimes “afraid” of being wrong, but considers that “excessive fear is not Christian.” “Excessive fear is an attitude that hurts us, weakens us, shrinks us, paralyzes us. So much so that a person enslaved by fear does not move, he does not know what to do: he is fearful, focused on himself, waiting for something bad to happen. So fear leads to an attitude that paralyzes,” she observes.
In addition, he reflects on issues such as the reception of immigrants or hypocrisy. For the Pope, hypocrisy in the Church is “particularly detestable”, although recognizes that there are many hypocritical Christians and ministers”.
Along with this, the Pontiff denounces that migrants are used to scare people, to make them believe that “problems” come from there. “Our problems arise from the lack of high values, from the disorderly way of living in our homes and in our cities, from the emptiness of faith that distances us from each other and does not allow us fraternity”, he assures.
Thus, he urges the creation of meeting spaces with the “foreigners who knock on the doors” of Western countries because they offer “the possibility of overcoming” fears to “find welcome and assist Jesus in person.” In any case, he considers that the fear is “legitimate” also because “there is a lack of preparation for this meeting.” “It is not easy to enter the culture of others, to put yourself in the shoes of people so different from us, to understand their thoughts and experiences. And so, often, we put up walls to defend ourselves. Instead, we are called to overcome this fear in order to open ourselves up to the encounter”, he concludes.
(With information from Europa Press)
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Source-www.infobae.com