2023-05-08 15:14:02
The plenary session of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors ended in Rome on May 6. The commitment to the fight once morest online pedophilia was highlighted. A fund fed by contributions from Episcopal Conferences has also been set up to initiate capacity building programs aimed at guaranteeing assistance for victims in the poorest regions of the world.
Salvatore Cernuzio – Vatican City
The members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors spent energy, ideas and resources during their plenary assembly to analyze and elaborate current and future work, in light of the Pope’s renewed call to continue efforts to improve standards of conduct, and to protect the Church from «crime horrible» what constitutes sexual abuse. Discussions focused, among other things, on “a new universal framework” aimed at updating the guidelines of the Doctrine of the Faith of twelve years ago; funds for training and assistance to victims; a partnership with the American foundation GHR for safeguarding programs; and strategies to counter online child abuse.
Updated guidelines
Church guidelines, first published in 2011 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, have been updated, which as required by the Apostolic Constitution Preach the Gospel, requires a focus on Church-wide safeguarding policies. A “new framework of universal guidelines” has therefore been drafted, the Commission said in its final communiqué. It will be available from May 31 and will be submitted to church officials, victims groups and stakeholders for a period of public comment before final approval later in the year.
A fund supplied by the Episcopal Conferences
In accordance with the indications of the Pope, who hailed the work of the Commission, to level the inequalities in the poorest countries where the victims “suffer in silence” because they do not have the means to denounce and obtain help, a fund fed by contributions from the Episcopal Conferences has been set up. The objective is to initiate capacity building programs to ensure better access to training and assistance for victims, their families and their communities in the poorest regions of the world. The pilot program was signed with the Church of Rwanda, and to safeguard the fund, a financial disbursement protocol was approved to regulate the use of donations under a capacity building program.
Agreements with the GHR and the Dicastery for Evangelization
Several agreements have also been concluded. One of them is the partnership with the American foundation GHR, in order to implement a program aimed at providing regional consultants with expertise in protection. The Dicastery for Integral Human Development had already entered into a partnership with the GHR during the Covid-19 pandemic. Along with the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, the GHR will oversee the recruitment, contracting and direct payment of regional staff.
A strategic plan
Among other novelties announced, the development of a verification tool will be used to assess the adequacy of guidelines for safeguarding and protection within local Churches, as well as strategies to quickly respond to the call of Francis to combat the harms of online child abuse. Finally, a five-year strategic plan will identify objectives, targets and performance indicators to measure progress and report to stakeholders.
During the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Commission, “certain adjustments have been made to our working methodology, in order to clarify our different roles and create a sense of shared ownership of our mandate and our collective responsibility in its implementation”said its president, Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley. “We have sought the necessary resources”pointed out the Archbishop of Boston, and “we are confident in the plan we have defined and in the people who work with us”, he concluded.
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