DAY OF PRAYER FOR VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS OF ABUSE
Tuesday, 4 May 2021
The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) has highlighted the importance of prayer and suggested to Pope Francis that the worldwide Catholic Church should join together in a day of prayer for victims and survivors of Abuse. The Holy Father has welcomed this initiative.
From 2021, in response to a request from the Let’s Be Honest working group, the Bishops chose the Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter as the Day of Prayer for Victims and Survivors of Abuse — 4 May 2021. There were two connected reasons for moving the Day of Prayer from Lent to Easter: this is not a penitential day for the failure of the Church and others to respond to the scourge of abuse but a day of prayer for those who have been abused in a season of hope and new life.
It is vitally important for the local Church to acknowledge and respond in prayer when it is able rather than restrict its activities to just one day in the year. Much of the material in this resource has been written by, and with, survivors. Though it is hoped that survivors will be included in any local initiative, that may not always be possible. This should not be a barrier to using the Let’s Be Honest service as it was prepared by survivors so that their voice would be heard – especially in places where it has not yet been heard.
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