New Vatican Abuse Commission Should Have Maltese Bishops – Abuse Survivor

The Matthew Vella
December 11, 2013

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/New-Vatican-abuse-commission-should-have-Maltese-bishops-abuse-survivor-20131211

Mgr Charles Scicluna

An abuse survivor and campaigner against priestly sex abuse said Maltese bishop Charles Scicluna should be heading the new Vatican commission on safeguarding children and caring for abuse victims.

"Maltese Bishop Charles Scicluna... has experience of handling abuse cases from around the world from his time as Promoter of Justice in the Vatican," Marie Collins told Catholic newspaper The Tablet.

"During that time he showed a strong commitment to convincing bishops that they must deal properly with cases of abuse in their diocese. I believe he would bring this commitment to the commission."

Scicluna was the face of the Vatican's fight against clerical sex abuse, before being appointed auxiliary bishop in Malta.

Collins said the new Vatican commission set up by Pope Francis should have been set up ten years ago when clerical child sexual abuse crisis "was not just isolated to one or two countries and it was not going to go away."

"No amount of defensive statements or words of apology were going to tackle the problem, prevent further abuse or help those survivors who needed justice and healing. Now that the Vatican is setting up this commission my hope is that it will not turn out to be a false dawn. That we will see real, practical measures put in place to ensure the safety of children and bring the needed peace and justice to those who have been hurt," Collins said in an interview.

Collins helped to set up the child protection office in Dublin Archdiocese in 2003. She was also on the committee that helped draft the Irish Church's child protection guidelines. More recently, she collaborated with the apostolic visitation to Ireland and had two meetings with visitor Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston. A year ago she helped prepare the Liturgy of Lament and Repentance for Clerical and Religious Sexual Abuse delivered at Dublin's Pro Cathedral in the presence of Cardinal O'Malley and the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin.

"If there is to be lasting progress then the right people have to be chosen as members of this commission. We have had too many decisions made within the Church by those whose priority has been the protection of the institution rather than the protection of children. We have had too many speak for the Church using words which have hurt rather than healed survivors. This must be an end to that."

Collins also said there should be a representative of survivors of clerical sexual abuse on the commission, and that the commission must have the teeth to make bishops accountable.

"What is the point of this commission enacting new safeguarding policies or healing procedures if those charged with their implementation are in a position to ignore them without sanction? To achieve credibility the Church must ensure accountability. Without it there is no guarantee the mistakes of the past will not continue into the future and more innocents suffer."