Phoenix, Ariz., Feb 3, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Speaking to a group of youth ministers in the Diocese of Phoenix in January, Bishop Thomas Olmsted said that, “popes this century have described a loss of the sense of sin, a phenomena that is accompanied by the loss of the sense of God. But, through the scandal of child abuse by clergy, this trend may be changing.”
According to the Phoenix Catholic Sun, Olmsted told the group that, “We become truly eager for the grace of conversion when deep down inside of us we feel real shame and real sorrow for our own sinfulness and the harm it causes others,”
He talked about clear teaching of truths and the sacrament of penance as tools to turn sin into a cause for conversion. “Any authentic encounter with the Lord Jesus will always lead us further along the path of conversion,” he said.
According to the Diocese of Phoenix, the Bishop continued his talk sharing his own thoughts and those of the pope regarding communion and solidarity. He called the identity of Catholics innately tied in with the Eucharist and showed how this communion as Catholics should lead to a desire to “express that love in solidarity.