VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider
The Pontifical Commission for Child Protection is holding its first meeting in the Vatican with all members present. Two former victims of sexual abuse by priests said that if pastors are not held accountable we’re leaving. A day of prayer and guidelines for Bishops’ Conferences are currently being considered
IACOPO SCARAMUZZI
VATICAN CITY
The Vatican Commission for Child Protection created by Pope Francis is holding its first meeting in the Vatican, with all members present. The Commission expressed its deep concern about the accountability of bishops, about whether they will admit responsibility before faithful, whether they will react with negligence in the face of paedophilia charges made against a priest in their diocese. The Commission’s members expressed this concern at a briefing in the Vatican, announcing that they are “working on policy recommendations for the Holy Father’s approval.” The two members of the Commission that were sexually abused by priests as children have stated that if things do not change over the next couple of years they will hand in their resignation.
The Child Protection Commission is “very, very concerned” about accountability of bishops and working on policy recommendations for the Holy Father’s approval, said the Commission’s president, the Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, one of the Pope’s nine cardinal advisors. The body has and will continue discussing procedures that can be introduced in cases where a bishop does not take accusations relating to the sexual abuse of children by a priest seriously: “There needs to be procedures that will allow these cases to be dealt with in an expeditious way, rather than just having things open-ended,” the cardinal said, “all members of the Commission are well aware of this”. Sister Kayula Gertrude Lesa from Zambia and Peter Saunders from England also gave statements during the briefing. Saunders, who was abused by a paedophile priest as a child, was received by the Pope last summer, but almost all members of the Commission were present in the newsroom. “If in a year or two there isn’t some firm action on those matters, then I don’t think I’ll be sitting here talking to you,” Saunders said. “I think it’s not disputed that there have been far too many cover ups, there have been far too many clergy protected, moved from place to place,” Saunders added, stressing the need for Church leaders to report those who are guilty to civil justice.
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