One of the most memorable Synod interventions so far came from Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, who apologised to young people for all the ways the Church and its members have harmed them or let them down.
Many of us long to hear an archbishop, indeed any Church leader, tell it like it is, so Archbishop Fisher’s intervention is very welcome. For one thing, the archbishop apologised for the child abuse scandal and “for the shameful deeds of some priests, religious and laypeople, perpetrated upon you or other young people just like you, and the terrible damage that has done.” He went on to apologise for “for the failure of too many bishops and others to respond appropriately when abuse was identified, and to do all in their power to keep you safe; and for the damage thus done to the church’s credibility and to your trust.”
