Dear friends
I'm writing to invite you and your colleagues to Root & Branch’s first talk of 2023. We're delighted that Archbishop Charles Scicluna has agreed to talk with us, and his focus will be 'Towards a Beatitudinal Church'. The talk is on 19 January, 19.00 (London time) There will be opportunities to ask questions during the webinar and we'd be pleased if you could join us. I attach a poster advertising the talk and would be grateful if you could publicise this around your networks far and wide!!
There is no one more experienced than Archbishop Charles in investigating abuse and cover-up by the Catholic hierarchy. He took statements in relation to the Cardinal Keith O'Brien investigation. In 2018 Pope Francis sent him to Chile to investigate the bishops actions in relation to allegations of clerical sexual violence. His report was stunning. He forensically dissected the action/inaction and upheld the allegations made against bishops and as a result the Pope gave a very public apology saying that his earlier public support for one of the bishops was wrong. Archbishop Charles once said 'We are dealing here not with dogma but with a very down to earth, human problem: which is sin, crime and the need to protect our young people and children'.
We have asked Archbishop Charles to reflect on how we, as Church, in line with Pope Francis’ teaching, can work to create a culture where we can bring about authentic change and a more Beatitudinal Church. We are also hoping that he might draw on his deep experience of investigating allegations of sexual abuse on behalf of Pope Francis to offer us some guidance as to how we maintain the momentum for change within the Church and tackle the issues surrounding clerical power abuse in all its guises. Finally we've asked him to share some thoughts with us about the church-wide synod and it's progress.
Our Stolen Lives series continues, and we'll let you know about any forthcoming events. If you would like to share any initiatives or achievements in your work with survivors, we'd be very glad to hear from you as we want to share examples of progress with our networks. Of course we won’t share anything without your permission.
Best wishes
Mary Varley
On behalf of the Root & Branch core team and the Stolen Lives team