Holy Father asks for silence & prayer during sex abuse scandal

During Mass at the Vatican on September 3, 2018, America Magazine reports the Pontiff urges the congregation to adopt the silent mode in the face of scandal and division.

In his words, choose "silence and prayer" when one is confronted "with people lacking goodwill, with people who only seek scandal, who seek only division, who seek only destruction, even within the family: silence, prayer."

Faced with scandal, the Pontiff says the response should be to say your piece then keep quiet because "the truth is mild, the truth is silent, the truth is not noisy."

His homily focused on Jesus' reaction to his angry former neighbors in the Gospel story by Luke. The passage says the people "rose up, drove [Jesus] out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill… to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away."

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Pope Francis noted that Jesus was silent as he was driven out of the city by "not persons," but "a pack of wild dogs… They did not reason. They shouted. Jesus stayed silent. They took him to the top of the mountain to throw him down, but he passed through their midst and went away."

According to the Pontiff, Jesus won against "the wild dogs with his silence," adding that he also conquered "the devil" who is "the father of lies, the accuser, the devil, acts to destroy the unity of a family, of a people."

"May the Lord give us the grace to discern when we should speak and when we should stay silent. This applies to every part of life: to work, at home, in society," the Pope concluded.

Sex abuse scandal in Roman Catholic church

Pope Francis' remarks could be regarded as his first public response to the 7000-word letter of Archbishop.

In it, the former nuncio to the United States accused the pope of covering up the multiple cases of abuse of the former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. He also called for the pontiff's resignation.

"Pope Francis must be the first to set a good example for cardinals and bishops who covered up McCarrick's abuses and resign along with all of them," Viganò demanded in the letter.

John Piper has also called for a new pope. In a recent tweet, the reformed theologian and former pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church suggested that there should be a new pope. He says this new pontiff should believe that justification is by faith alone.