Pope Francis on Friday asked the pontifical commission for the protection of minors to send him an annual report on the fight once morest this scourge. He called for a ‘fresh start’, as ‘there is still ‘much to do’.
“The sexual abuse of children is particularly serious, because it undermines life in its development”, insisted the pope before the members of this advisory body, created in 2014 to help the Church “to protect children from abuse. , youth and vulnerable adults.
Welcoming the decline in the number of sexual violence by clerics, the pontiff asked that he be drafted an annual report on the efforts made by the Church in this area in order to have ‘reliable information on what is happening and what needs to change. “If no progress is made, the faithful will continue to lose faith in their pastors,” he warned.
New constitution
He notably returned to the new “constitution” governing the government of the Holy See, which will come into force in June to replace that promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
The result of nine years of work, this text provides for the integration of this commission into the dicastery (ministry) which oversees canonical investigations into cases of sexual abuse committed by the clergy, thus making it an organ in its own right of the Roman Curia. , the Vatican government.
‘Important seeds have been sown (…) but there is still much to do,’ the pope stressed. This text marks ‘a new beginning’. ‘It is up to you to extend the scope of this mission so that the protection and care of the abused become the norm in all spheres of the life of the Church’.
‘Some might think that this cohabitation would compromise your freedom of thought and action, or even diminish the importance of the issues you deal with. It’s not my intention,’ he added in reference to critics fearing the commission’s loss of independence. He thus assured that it would remain ‘independent’, headed by a president appointed by the pope.
Better fight once morest this scourge
Finally, the Holy Father invited the commission to ‘propose the best methods’ in the fight once morest this scourge, ‘keeping in mind that justice and prevention are complementary’.
The pope ‘has given the commission a very clear mandate’ and wants ‘we to ensure that survivors are welcomed and the door is open to them when they call on the Church in their country’, said during of a press conference with American Cardinal Sean O’Malley, chairman of the commission, shortly following the private audience.
/ATS
