Archbishop Jędraszewski: The process of purifying the Church radically began with St. John Paul II

“This Roman meeting enters into a great process of purifying the Church from the great misfortunes that have arisen as a result of the abuse of children and youth by people who are particularly responsible for educating young people and for leading others to God”, said Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, vice-president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Metropolitan of Cracow, who participates in the summit dedicated to the protection of minors in the Vatican.

“This is the next stage that began in a radical way in 2001-2002, when first in 2001 St. John Paul II the Great announced the Motu proprio document. It is very important to see what this document is. Motu proprio is a document that was created on the initiative and the will of the Pope. It was John Paul II who wanted to look at the problem of pedophilia in the Church in an unequivocally way condemning the evil that existed, and at the same time, to find the right ways to solve this problem” - said the vice-president of the Polish Episcopate.

The hierarch pointed out that Motu proprio of John Paul II found its continuation in the activities of Pope Benedict XVI and in what Pope Francis is doing today. “This is a line of conduct, deepening the sense of responsibility of the whole Church for what has happened and what is unfortunately still happening, a process that began with John Paul II. And hence the years 2001 and 2002 come back as a certain radical temporal turning point; while mentioning what they meant for the newest history of the Church, in reference to this problem, it is pointed to the key role that St. John Paul II, our great compatriot, played in the process of the purification of the Church” - said the Metropolitan of Cracow.

Archbishop Jędraszewski also drew attention to Linda Ghisoni’s speech, undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, who on 22 February gave a report on the Church community responsible for everything that is happening in the Church. “Feminine sensibility, a feminine genius emphasized by Pope Francis, referring to the formulation of John Paul II from his letter to women, was shown by the special sensitivity revealed in Ghisoni’s statement about the Church community, who is responsible for everything is going on” - said Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, vice-president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference.

Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference