Pope urges change in church ‘mindset’

ROME — In a letter to U.S. bishops released Thursday by the Vatican, Pope Francis directly acknowledged the damage done to the Catholic Church by the “sins and crimes” of sexual abuse and provided a lengthy explanation of his proposed response: one focused on discernment, unity, and a “change in our mindset.”

The 3,600-word letter was largely perspective and spiritually oriented, but it did not include calls for new measures for punishment or accountability — steps recommended by victims’ advocacy groups.

Francis made a case that the abuse issues were deeply rooted and required more than just “stern decrees” or “improving flow charts, as if we were in charge of a department of human resources.”

“That kind of vision ends up reducing the mission of the bishop and that of the Church to a mere administrative or organizational function in the ‘evangelization business,’” the pope wrote, in a letter dated Jan. 1.

He urged the church leaders to acknowledge “our hurt before the present situation and (let) ourselves together be summoned anew by God’s word.”

Francis’ letter came as the U.S. bishops, after a year of turbulence and abuse-related scandals, gather for a weeklong retreat at a seminary outside of Chicago. That retreat, which is closed to the media, was suggested by Francis after he met in September with several U.S. Catholic leaders.

In his letter, Francis pointedly mentioned divisions within the U.S. ranks, and called on the bishops to be collegial.