The Bishop of Portsmouth has written to the Pope suggesting he convene an "Extraordinary Synod" in Rome in response to the "world-wide phenomenon" of clerical sex abuse.

Bishop Philip Egan writes: "As a Catholic and a Bishop, these revelations fill me with deep sorrow and shame."

The Synod of Bishops, established by Pope Paul VI in 1965, is an advisory body to the Pope. There can be ordinary, extraordinary or special sessions of the Synod of Bishops. According to Canon Law (346 §2), extraordinary synods are convened to deal with matters that need "speedy solution" for the good of the entire Church. The next "ordinary" assembly of the Synod of Bishops, on young people, takes place in October.

In his letter, written as Pope Francis prepares to travel to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families this weekend, Bishop Egan writes that he is responding to "the terrible scandals of the abuse of minors by clergy revealed by the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report".

To these can be added the scandals in Chile, Australia, Ireland and, with the recent findings of the Institutional Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse on the Benedictine schools Ampleforth and Downside, in England too.

Bishop Egan writes: "Clerical sex abuse seems to be a world-wide phenomenon in the Church. As a Catholic and a Bishop, these revelations fill me with deep sorrow and shame. I pray for the healing of the poor victims. I pray for the forgiveness of the perpetrators. I pray too for myself, and for all our clergy and people, that by our penance we will grow in holiness."

In light of all this, he says he wishes to make a "constructive suggestion".

Bishop Egan asks Pope Francis: "Would it be possible to call an Extraordinary Synod on the Life and Ministry of Clergy? The Synod might begin with a ‘congress,’ attended by the bishops but formed of laity and others expert in the clergy abuse scandals and in the safeguarding of children and the vulnerable. The fruits of this could then be taken forward into a Synod of Bishops proper.

"I suggest the Synod be devoted to the identity of being a priest/bishop, to devising guidance on life-style and supports for celibacy, to proposing a rule of life for priests/bishops and to establishing appropriate forms of priestly/episcopal accountability and supervision. Canon Law could then be revised in the light of the outcomes and each Diocese be required to apply it by developing its own Directory for Clergy."

He says that as a bishop, he seems to have few tools to facilitate the day-to-day management of clergy.

By contrast, when he was responsible for formation in a seminary context, the staff spent several years devising a balanced system of annual assessments and scrutiny to help an individual student take responsibility for their formation.

Bishop Egan notes that, once ordained, priests and bishops have few formal ongoing assessments or ministerial supervision. "It ought to be possible to devise mechanisms to help bishops in their responsibilities towards clergy and to help clergy realise they are not ‘lone operatives’ but ministers accountable to the direction and leadership of the diocese - 'nihil sine episcopo'," he writes.

Bishop Egan posted his letter on Twitter, where at the time of writing it had been liked 146 times, retweeted 62 times and received 36 comments.  

In London, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, echoed the pope's sentiments in an Aug. 22 letter to clergy in which he said he was "utterly ashamed that this evil has, for so long, found a place in our house, our church."

"This evil has particular abhorrence because not only is it a terrible abuse of power, but also because, in its evil, it both employs and destroys the very goodness of faith and trust in God," Cardinal Nichols said.

An Aug. 20 statement from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed similar solidarity with the pope and with Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in reiterating "the profound sadness that we as bishops feel each time we learn about the harm caused as a result of abuse by church leaders of any rank."

"We hope and pray that the Catholic faithful will assist all of us in every way to create safe and respectful environments for everyone, especially minors and vulnerable adults in the church and in all of society," the statement said.

Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, president of the Australian bishops' conference, issued a statement Aug. 21 to assure Catholics in Australia that "we share the Holy Father's determination to protect young people and vulnerable adults."

"These are important words from Pope Francis, but words are not enough. Now is the time for action on many levels," Archbishop Coleridge said.

Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna told Austria's Kathpress news agency Aug. 21 that the Catholic Church must continue to develop abuse prevention methods "so that abuse does not have a place in the church."

Although the pope's letter is a step forward, the cardinal said, the church "has an urgent need of intensifying its efforts to guarantee the protection of minors and adult in vulnerable situations."

"Our first concern must be the victims, without compromise," he said.

In the pope's native Argentina, bishops thanked Pope Francis for his letter and expressed their sorrow "for the suffering inflicted on minors and vulnerable adults due to sexual abuse, of power and of conscience."

"We adhere and assume your irrevocable commitment so that the protection of minors and adults in vulnerable situations may be ensured," the bishops said in an Aug. 21 letter to the pope.

However, not all reactions to the pope's letter were positive. The Asian church news portal ucanews.com reported that several leading Indian Catholic women were angered by the pope's call for fasting and prayer.

"Making the laity fast and pray is not the solution," theologian Kochurani Abraham told ucanews.com Aug. 23. "Clerical sexual infidelity should be punished and not hidden under the carpet."

The church, she added, must make a clear distinction between sin and crime.

"Sin is something that you can repent and be absolved of, but crime has to be punished. The sooner the church realizes this, the better," Abraham said

Catholics in the country also are coping with the issue of abuse after an unidentified Catholic nun accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar of raping her four years ago, then sexually abusing her multiple times over the following two years.

Sister Nirmalini, provincial of the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel, told ucanews.com that several other allegations of sexual abuse by priests have been reported to local church officials but have often fallen on deaf ears.

"The silence of the church is deafening, and the victim is made to feel guilty for raising her voice," Sister Nirmalini said. "Will the bishops stand up for justice for victims within the church?"

The Tablet at WMOF2018

The Tablet is at the World Meeting of Families. Come and say "hello" –  the main exhibition area - stand 91