Eleventh Good Friday intercession for sexual abuse victims

Special prayers on Good Friday for abuse victims

BISHOP ACKERMANN: "HOLY WEEK IS A CALL TO REPENTANCE AND PRAYER"

The person responsible for dealing with the problems of sexual abuse on behalf of the German Bishops Conference, Bishop Stephan Ackermann (Trier), has invited the members of the German Bishops' Conference to insert special prayers into the Good Friday liturgy. "Given the current situation of the problem of sexual abuse within the Church, I have submitted this proposal," said Bishop Dr. Ackermann. The Good Friday liturgy has traditionally contained ten great intercessions. Into these prayers this year a petition "can be inserted" for children and adolescents, "to whom among the people of God, in communion with the Church, great injustice has been done, who have been abused and injured in body and soul," the prayer text states. " Holy Week is a call to repentance and prayer," Bishop Ackermann said.

We publish here the text of the additional year's Good Friday Prayer, consisting of an intercession, an invitation to prayer and a final prayer.

) Deacon (Priest: Let us pray for children and young people,

to whom among the people of God, in communion with the Church,

great injustice has been done,

who have been abused and injured in body and soul,

we pray also for the perpetrators

who have sinned badly against the young people

who were entrusted to their care and custody.

(Deacon: Kneel- all rise.)

Priest: Almighty and everlasting God,

your Son himself became a victim

of injustice and violence,

because of our sins he was wounded to the heart.

Let your love, your comfort and your strength

be near to all those to whom a great injustice has been done

and have suffered deep emotional wounds,

come near to them, heal their wounds and strengthen their faith,

To the guilty give insight and remorse,

willingness to repent and the determination to

make amends for past misdeeds.

send your Holy Spirit to all of us as Counsel,

so that we stay on the path of thy Commandments,

resisting evil, and deciding to do what is good.

Comments

joan Sutton said…

Don't pray for the perpetrators. most of them have gotten away with it and lead or led comfortable lives. Father Murphy was never defrocked but died in luxury. Pray to whatever divine power exists and thank him/her/it for finally taking pity on the innocents and exposing child abuse at long last, after centuries and causing a public outcry. Now the children have a voice.

5:22 PM

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