It follows a letter from Pope Francis in August, in which he asked all Catholics to fast and pray in order that their ears might be opened to the "hushed pain felt by children and young people" as a result of clerical abuse.
Monsignor Gerry Burns, the vicar general of the Wellington Archdiocese, said priests decided to do the fast day as a way of committing to a change of heart and a change in the church structures which allowed child abuse to flourish.Priests in the Wellington region have committed to prayer and fasting today as a way of atoning for sexual abuse committed by clergy against children.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/367987/priests-pray-and-fast-to-atone-for-clergy-s-sexual-abuse
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/367987/priests-pray-and-fast-to-atone-for-clergy-s-sexual-abuse
