Why did Benedict mention the Eucharist in his abuse essay?

it may well look like an aside, but the Eucharist is elementary to understanding the difficulty

within the third part of Benedict XVI's letter on the theological roots of the abuse disaster in the Church and in tradition, he relates two different sorts of abuse.

Benedict writes, "let us consider this with reference to a valuable concern, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Our managing of the Eucharist can only arouse subject." The Pope Emeritus says that the Council Fathers had been concentrated on protecting the Eucharist at the middle of Christian life, but as an alternative "a rather distinctive attitude is accepted."

"What predominates is not a new reverence for the presence of Christ's demise and resurrection, but a means of coping with Him that destroys the greatness of the secret."

instead of expanding reverence for the Sacrificial Presence of the body and Blood of Christ within the Eucharist, it has become for a lot of a "mere ceremonial gesture," wherein we abuse the Eucharist to create "a Church of our personal design."

without suggesting any causal relationship between liturgical and sexual abuse, Benedict takes under consideration the case of a young altar girl who changed into abused by way of a priest the use of the sacramental phrases, "here's my body which should be given up for you." The sexual crimes of monks are at all times more heinous than others because they're all the time doubled with the aid of sacrilege, and nowhere is this more evident than within the case Benedict cites.

to some this feels like "altering the area." And in a means, they are appropriate. it is altering the discipline from ourselves to Christ. but no longer in a means which diminishes the centrality of our difficulty for victims, but which positively places them with Christ on the center, uniting their struggling to the handiest other sufferer who can heal this kind of wound.

Christ has been abused within the victims who every endure His picture. Christ has been abused anyplace essentially the most Holy Eucharist isn't handled with the optimal reverence human beings are capable of providing.

This Holy Week we see all of our sins evidently. all of the evil and wickedness of human heritage is heaped upon the sufferer. "We must urgently implore the Lord for forgiveness, and first and superior we ought to swear by Him and ask Him to teach us all anew to take into account the greatness of His suffering, His sacrifice." most likely here's the week that we, all and sundry, should fall prostrate earlier than Jesus Christ. here's the week that begins with us crying "Crucify Him!" this is the week of the kiss of Judas, and the denial of Peter. Quo Vadis? Which way we could go? There is just one course we will go for healing. here is the week we can devote ourselves totally, now not to debates over the theological roots of the disaster, or the purposeful protocols with a view to avoid it ever occurring once again, but to His passion, the most effective theological source of curative, purification and renewal. increase our reverence, Lord, and heal us via your most sacred wounds.