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Following are the words of the apology of the pope on behalf of the Church during the Jubilee Year.
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“Because of the bond which unites us to one another in the Mystical Body, all of us, though not personally responsible—and without encroaching on the judgement of God who alone knows every heart—bear the burden of the errors and faults of those who have gone before us” (Incarnationis Mysterium, n. 11).
The recognition of past wrongs serves to reawaken our consciences to the compromises of the present, opening the way to conversion for everyone.
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Let us forgive and ask forgiveness!
While we praise God who, in his merciful love, has produced in the Church a wonderful harvest of holiness, missionary zeal, total dedication to Christ and neighbour, we cannot fail to recognize the infidelities to the Gospel committed by some of our brethren, especially during the second millennium.
Let us ask pardon for the divisions which have occurred among Christians, for the violence some have used in the service of the truth and for the distrustful and hostile attitudes sometimes taken towards the followers of other religions.
Let us confess, even more, our responsibilities as Christians for the evils of today. We must ask ourselves what our responsibilities are regarding atheism, religious indifference, secularism, ethical relativism, the violations of the right to life, disregard for the poor in many countries.
We humbly ask forgiveness for the part which each of us has had in these evils by our own actions, thus helping to disfigure the face of the Church.
At the same time, as we confess our sins, let us forgive the sins committed by others against us. Countless times in the course of history Christians have suffered hardship, oppression, and persecution because of their faith. Just as the victims of such abuses forgave them, so let us forgive as well.
The Church today feels and has always felt obliged to purify her memory of those sad events from every feeling of rancour or revenge. In this way the Jubilee becomes for everyone a favourable opportunity for a profound conversion to the Gospel.
The acceptance of God’s forgiveness leads to the commitment to forgive our brothers and sisters and to be reconciled with them.
From homily on the Day of Pardon, March 2, 2000
