Poland's bishops acknowledged on Wednesday that they have not done enough to prevent clerical abuse of minors and said there are "no words" to describe their shame about sex scandals involving priests.
The acknowledgement came as Poland, where Catholic traditions and faith remain strong, is grappling with the problem of abuse in the church. Massive soul searching was triggered by a documentary, "Tell No One," that includes testimony by victims, priests who admit their wrongdoing and evidence that the church — even recently — moved abusers from parish to parish and let them have contact with children.
"There are no words to express our shame because of sexual scandals involving clerics," the Polish Bishops' Conference said in a statement, a message that is to be read out in all churches on Sunday.
People walk by the Temple of Divine Providence, a major church in the Polish capital,in Warsaw, Poland, Monday, May 13, 2019. A new documentary about pedophile priests has deeply shaken Poland, one of Europe's most Roman Catholic societies, eliciting an apology from the church hierarchy and prompting one priest to leave the clergy.(AP PhotoCzarek Sokolowski)
"We admit that as shepherds of the Church, we did not do everything to prevent harm," the letter says.
The head of Poland's Catholic church, Archbishop Wojciech Polak, told reporters in Warsaw that the bishops also began work on a "systemic" response to the problem of abuse by some clergy and to the cases exposed in the documentary.
He credited the documentary with prompting the new action. "The film, taking into consideration the perspective of the victims, made us aware of the enormity of their suffering," the bishops said in their statement.
Cars drive on the street in front of the Temple of Divine Providence, a major church in the Polish capital, in Warsaw, Poland, Monday, May 13, 2019. A new documentary about pedophile priests has deeply shaken Poland, one of Europe's most Roman Catholic societies, eliciting an apology from the church hierarchy and prompting one priest to leave the clergy.(AP PhotoCzarek Sokolowski)
The response will include building a professional system of reporting cases of abuse and offering victims legal and psychological counselling. Preventive steps will include educating the clergy with the goal of making the church environment safer for children, according to Rev. Piotr Studnicki, who spoke about the decisions taken.
The Polish church for years has said that it treats the problem of pedophilia and abuse seriously but many critics point to the small number of priests who have faced sanctions as evidence that the church continues to cover up the problem.