UNITED KINGDOM
The Tablet
10 December 2013 by Marie Collins
The news that the Vatican is to set up a commission focused on safeguarding children and caring for victims of abuse is welcome. I would have been more impressed if it had been set up ten years ago as it certainly should. It was obvious by then that the 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.
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.
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