UNITED KINGDOM
The Tablet
Protecting children from abuse is more important than protecting the Church from scandal, Pope tells bishops
05 February 2015 by Liz Dodd
Pope Francis has ordered the world’s bishops to co-operate fully with the Vatican’s new abuse commission which has been tasked with improving child protection procedures.
In a letter released this morning ahead of the commission’s first meeting, the Pope said that safeguarding children was the Church’s top priority, and was more important than preserving its reputation or avoiding scandal.
Diocesan bishops and major superiors are responsible for the safety of children and vulnerable adults in their parishes and institutions, he added, and said that parents must be assured that their children are protected.
“Families should also know that they have every right to turn to the Church with full confidence, for it is a safe and secure home. Consequently, priority must not be given to any other kind of concern, whatever its nature, such as the desire to avoid scandal, since there is absolutely no place in ministry for those who abuse minors,” he said in the letter, which is addressed to the presidents of bishops’ conferences and superiors of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life.
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