Spiritual Support for Survivors of Domestic Violence in the Catholic Church in Poland
Spiritual Support for Survivors of Domestic Violence in the Catholic Church in Poland

Summary/Abstract: Spiritual consequences of domestic violence and the possibility of helping its survivors by the Catholic Church differ from the ones provided by the state.The Church sees every human being as a gift of life offered by the Creator.According to His teachings, the purpose of life, the purpose of Christian spirituality, is reaching fullness both temporally and eternally. Therefore, all humanexperiences – good and bad – have a deep sense and purpose. Violence, whichhas been with us since the very beginning of humanity, is evil that we have torenounce and atone for; it is a contradiction of love. However, no matter whatpenalty is administered on a guilty person, God gives a sacrament of confes-sion, which is one of the healing sacraments that open the way to repentanceand forgiveness. One has to bear in mind that regardless of its form – physical,psychological, economical, or self-destructing behavior – every act of violenceis, for a believer, not only a violation against human norms but also a sinagainst God’s majesty. Clerics can and should help both victims and perpetrators of violence because they have experience and knowledge of human prob-lems and tragedies; on the one hand, they perform the sacrament of reconciliation, on the other hand, they can work with families struck by violence, sup-porting them on the way to reconciliation and forgiveness.

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