The steady decline in the number of believers over the past several decades in Europe, a Christian cultural area, is due to a combination of factors, including secularization and cultural change, and the debate between the teachings of the Catholic Church and modern social values, such as contraception and abortion, same-sex marriage, and the role of women in the church. Above all, the impact of scandals related to sexual abuse by Catholic clergy was significant. These scandals not only caused immediate shock and anger among believers and ordinary citizens, but also had a long-term impact on perception and trust in the church, and the effects are still ongoing.
When the report on the sexual abuse investigation commissioned by the bishops' conferences of major European countries, including Germany, France, Spain, and Poland, was published, although it was not well covered in the church media, the Catholic bishops' conferences in those countries humbly accepted it and announced follow-up measures. The German Catholic Church’s ‘Synod Path’, which was controversial due to a conflict with the Vatican over the level of reform, also started with a report published in 2018.
In 2018, when the 'MeToo' movement’ was active, the Catholic Church in Korea also promised an apology from the bishops and a promise to prevent a recurrence. At the bishops' conference level, follow-up measures were implemented, including a public apology press conference, gender equality education for priests, the establishment of a committee on countermeasures, and the operation of a 'MeToo' hotline, but there is no way to know what activities have been carried out even after six years. Although it is important to clearly confirm the facts of each victim's case, the European Church's report on sexual abuse is important to remember that it was a process of reflection on the Catholic Church's failure to confess and take action promptly despite being aware of these facts. This is so since the investigation into sexual abuse was conducted by external agencies.
The Catholic Church and its leaders in countries that commissioned external experts to release reports on Catholic sexual abuse suffered a severe blow to their trust. This had a direct impact on church attendance, and the financial burden on the church was significant enough that many dioceses were sued by abuse victims. In some cases, dioceses have declared bankruptcy. Following the release of the report, believers, civil society, and the state called for important reforms within the church, including greater transparency and accountability in the church and the participation of laypeople in church management.
It takes great courage to confess that the church does not always heal the wounded, but at times hurts them. The reason why this shameful picture of the church was confessed through the sexual abuse report is probably because church reform can take its first step properly from such an honest confession.
Among the 20 themes in the comprehensive report of the first plenary session of the Synod of Bishops, item number 9, ‘Women in the life and mission of the church,’ contains the shameful confession of the church facing a reality that cannot be hidden. "Many women expressed deep gratitude for the work of priests and bishops but also spoke of a church that was hurting them. Clericalism, male chauvinism, and inappropriate use of authority continue to mar the face of the Church and damage communion. … Sexual abuse, power, and economic abuse continue to call for justice, healing, and reconciliation. … When dignity and justice are compromised in the relationships between men and women in the church, the credibility of our proclamation to the world is undermined. The synod process shows that a renewal of relationships and structural changes are needed."
The reason why the voices of women in the Korean church were not heard well, unlike in the Western churches, during the listening process at the diocesan stage of this Synod of Bishops is not that the synodalitas with women was well implemented, but because there are few women left in the church to raise the necessary voices. The columnist asks— would this be an exaggeration?
What if the church first honestly confesses how it has hurt the people of God, including women, and civil society before it is too late?
