Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale294

ney, whose vision and zeal led to the establishment of the Knights of Colum-

bus, or of the legacy of the generations of religious and priests who quietly

devoted their lives to serving the People of God in countless schools, hospitals

and parishes.

Here, within the context of our need for the perspective given by faith,

and for unity and cooperation in the work of building up the Church, I would

like to say a word about the sexual abuse that has caused so much suffering. I

have already had occasion to speak of this, and of the resulting damage to the

community of the faithful. Here I simply wish to assure you, dear priests and

religious, of my spiritual closeness as you strive to respond with Christian

hope to the continuing challenges that this situation presents. I join you in

praying that this will be a time of purification for each and every particular

Church and religious community, and a time for healing. And I also encoura-

ge you to cooperate with your Bishops who continue to work effectively to

resolve this issue. May our Lord Jesus Christ grant the Church in America a

renewed sense of unity and purpose, as all - Bishops, clergy, religious and

laity - move forward in hope, in love for the truth and for one another.

Dear friends, these considerations lead me to a final observation about

this great cathedral in which we find ourselves. The unity of a Gothic cathe-

dral, we know, is not the static unity of a classical temple, but a unity born of

the dynamic tension of diverse forces which impel the architecture upward,

pointing it to heaven. Here too, we can see a symbol of the Church's unity,

which is the unity - as Saint Paul has told us - of a living body composed

of many different members, each with its own role and purpose. Here too we

see our need to acknowledge and reverence the gifts of each and every mem-

ber of the body as ''manifestations of the Spirit given for the good of all''.13

Certainly within the Church's divinely-willed structure there is a distinction

to be made between hierarchical and charismatic gifts.14 Yet the very variety

and richness of the graces bestowed by the Spirit invite us constantly to

discern how these gifts are to be rightly ordered in the service of the Church's

mission. You, dear priests, by sacramental ordination have been configured

to Christ, the Head of the Body. You, dear deacons, have been ordained for

the service of that Body. You, dear men and women religious, both contem-

13 1 Cor 12:7. 14 Cf. Lumen Gentium, 4.