by Bishop Raymond A. Lucker
Diocese of New Ulm

In a remarkable series of Papal Addresses, the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has led the church in asking forgiveness. He has admitted the wrongs done over the centuries by the Catholic Church, its leaders and members, to other peoples and churches. The Pope has linked this with the Jubilee by proposing the idea of an examination of conscience at the end of the millennium, the second thousand years since the birth of Christ.

We have all had the experience of being estranged from another person because of some wrong he or she has done to us, or for something we have done against the other person. Realization of such actions on our part leads to tension, strain, not talking to the other person, avoiding them. We say under our breaths, "He/she has to make the first move." Something has to give. One party, usually the offending one, asks forgiveness. Husbands and wives, people in love, people with close friendships experience this all the time, recognizing a fault, realizing a harsh word, remembering a terrible thing done to another person. One says, "I am sorry." What a healing thing that can be, to forgive and to ask for forgiveness for what one has done.

Nations too can bring about reconciliation and peace when they admit wrongs they have done to another country. Leaders of Germany and France, for example, were led to admit to each other the injustices they had committed against each other before and during World War II. The two nations became friends and leaders of a united Europe. Polish and German Bishops asked for and gave pardon to one another for the terrible struggle between the two nations which resulted in the genocide that took place during World War II. Leaders in South Africa asked for forgiveness for the harsh things that were done to the Black people of that land during the time of apartheid. Bishop Girardi of Guatemala was killed because he asked that there be forgiveness and reconciliation in that land which has suffered so much injustice, cruelty, killings, and disappearances.

Luigi Accattoli, an Italian journalist, recently put his finger on a hidden theme of the present papacy when he published an exceptional book called "When a Pope Asks Forgiveness". When the Pope outlined his plans for the Jubilee Year 2000 several years ago, he called on the church to make a critical self-evaluation of its actions over the past centuries. The journalist researched papal addresses, especially those given during his international travel, and found that the Holy Father had publicly admitted church culpability ninety-four times on topics ranging from the Inquisition to ecumenism and the treatment of Native Peoples, Blacks, and women.

Some of his advisors, including Cardinals, Bishops, and some of his staff in the Vatican, advised against such a move. But the Holy Father would not back down on his resolve. Recalling what had been done recently about the Galileo case, he said, "A close look at the history of the second millennium can perhaps provide evidence of other similar errors as regards respect for the autonomy due the sciences. How can we be silent about so many kinds of violence perpetuated in the name of the faith? Religious wars, courts of the Inquisition, and other violations of the rights of the human person. The church must on its own initiative examine the dark places of its history and judge it in the light of gospel principles. The church would be strengthened by the manifestation of loyalty and courage in admitting the errors committed by its members, and in a certain sense in the name of the church."

These are remarkable words, especially when for a long time it was difficult for us as a church to admit that we ever make mistakes, errors, or sins. Yes, the church is holy and "without spot or wrinkle" because it is the Body of Christ. Yet, as the Second Vatican Council reminds us, it is made up of sinful people on pilgrimage. The church has never made a mistake in teaching the central message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It has never made a mistake in teaching the infallible truths of revelation.

Pope Paul VI led the way in asking for forgiveness from the Protestant and Orthodox Church leaders at the opening of the second session of the Second Vatican Council in 1963. He said, "If we are in any way to blame for that separation, we humbly beg God’s forgiveness and ask pardon too of our brethren who feel themselves to have been injured by us. For our part, we willingly forgive the injuries which the Catholic Church has suffered and forget the grief endured during the long series of dissensions and separations."

In many ways only the Pope can speak for the Catholic Church in saying, "mea culpa". Only the Pope can say, "we made a mistake". Our Pope is calling for a reevaluation of history and with a deep change of heart asks for forgiveness where that is needed.

In a message to the Native Peoples of America Pope John Paul II said, "As pastor of the church I ask you in the name of Jesus Christ to pardon those who have offended you. I ask you to pardon those who have caused pain to you and your ancestors during these five hundred years." He said on the five hundredth anniversary of the colonization of the New World, "We do not cease asking these people for ‘forgiveness’. This request for pardon is primarily addressed to the first inhabitants of the new land, the Indians, and then those who were brought from Africa as slaves to do heavy labor."

Speaking of the Inquisition, Pope John Paul II said, "Another painful chapter of history to which the sons and daughters of the church must return with a spirit of repentance is that of the acquiescence given, especially in certain centuries, to intolerance and even the use of violence in the service of truth." In another address he said, "How can we remain silent in the face of so many forms of violence perpetuated in the name of the faith; religious wars, the courts of the Inquisition, and other forms of violence of the rights of individuals."

In a letter to women the Pope said, "Women’s dignity has often been unacknowledged and their prerogatives misrepresented. They have often been relegated to the margins of society and even reduced to servitude, and if objective blame has belonged to not just a few members of the church, for this I am truly sorry. May this regret be transformed on the part of the whole church into a renewed commitment of fidelity to the gospel vision." Further he said, " I appeal to the whole church community to be willing to foster feminine participation in every way in its internal life." He continued, "To a large extent it is a question of making full use of the ample room for a lay and feminine presence recognized by the church’s law. I am thinking, for example, of theological teaching, the forms of liturgical ministry permitted, including service at the altar, pastoral and administrative councils, diocesan synods and particular councils, various ecclesial institutions, Curias, and ecclesiastical tribunals, many pastoral activities including the new forms of participation in the care of parishes where there is a shortage of clergy, except for those tasks that belong properly to the priests."

I could quote many other instances when the Pope publicly asked for forgiveness, acknowledging, examining, admitting errors of the past and asking forgiveness for our sins as followers of Jesus Christ. As we enter the new millennium, the need for forgiving and being forgiven needs to be a part of our preparation. As individuals, as members of families, as citizens and as members of the church, we need to conduct our own examination of conscience and ask for forgiveness where we have erred and offended others.

As a diocese, I invite all of you to join me in asking forgiveness of the Native Americans in our area who have been treated unjustly by followers of Jesus Christ during the time when this land was being settled and afterwards. I would like you to join with me also in asking forgiveness of the members of other Christian denominations, for the part that we played in the continuing separation of the churches. It is only through remembering, asking for forgiveness, and being reconciled that we can build a more unified, peaceful, and just society.

February, 1999