The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) was established in 2014 as an advisory body at the service of the Holy Father. The mission entrusted to the PCPM is “to propose initiatives to the Roman Pontiff…for the purposes of promoting local responsibility in the particular Churches for the protection of all minors and vulnerable adults” (Statutes, Art. 1). The PCPM’s main concern from the start was how to find the best way to protect children and how to help the Pope and the Church achieve this goal. Its role, however, is not to take any responsibility for individual cases of abuse (which is the competence of a prosecutorial body or a court).

It became obvious that in many cases, the behaviour of the Church, which was intended to defend itself, was plunging it further and further into harm’s way, thus causing damage. The greatest resentment has been caused…