Church to Have Prayer Day for Clerical Abuse Victims and Website to Counter Abuse

RTE News
September 12, 2016

http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0912/816071-clerical-abuse-catholic-church/

Pope Francis announced in June that members of the church hierarchy can now be dismissed from office if they fail to display the diligence required of them to ensure that children and vulnerable adults are protected

Pope Francis has announced plans for a worldwide day of prayer for the victims of sexual abuse in line with a proposal from his child protection panel.

The panel has also decided to establish a website later this year to help protect children and vulnerable adults from abuse in both the Catholic Church and wider society.

The panel, which includes a leading Irish survivor of clerical child abuse Marie Collins, advises Pope Francis on efforts to combat clerical abuse which has become a major scandal, mostly in developed countries, over the past quarter century.

A spokesperson for the panel said members have addressed church gatherings on all five continents and that the prayer initiative had been proposed by an abuse survivor.

"The commission believes that prayer is one part of the healing process for survivors and the community of believers," a statement said.

"Public prayer is also an important way of consciousness-raising in the Church."

The move was announced after the latest week-long meeting of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in Rome.

Established in 2014, the panel suffered a setback earlier this year when one of its members, British abuse survivor Peter Saunders, was sidelined after complaining that it was doing nothing to break down a culture of complacency and cover-ups within the church.

And its emphasis on prayer and education is unlikely to appease critics who say the church remains reluctant to hand over priests alleged to have abused to civil judicial authorities.

The day of prayer will complement similar initiatives already announced in various church regions.

Pushing ahead with education initiatives

The panel also said it was pushing ahead with educational initiatives - including setting up its own website - to raise awareness about sexual abuse in local churches and in the Vatican and to better equip church leaders to deal with potential scandals.

And it welcomed Pope Francis' announcement in June that members of the church hierarchy can now be dismissed from office if they fail to display the diligence required of them to ensure that children and vulnerable adults are protected.

The Pope has established a legal framework for clerics who have abused children and vulnerable adults to be tried in the Vatican.

The commission statement says he has gone beyond its own proposals for making bishops accountable by broadening it to other church leaders, for example the heads of religious orders.

The current Pope has been praised for meeting abuse survivors in Rome and in the United States.

But some critics say his overall record on the issue is patchy and he has come under fire for standing by his finance chief George Pell.

The Australian cardinal has been accused of abusing boys during his time as a priest and of failing to deal with priests who have abused and who were under his charge when he was a senior figure in the Australian church.

Pope Francis said last month there were "doubts" about the claims made against Cardinal Pell and warned of the dangers of condemning him to a "media verdict."

The full text of the Vatican's news release can be found here.