The Catholic Church is working on cases of abuse. Now the Pope is stepping up efforts.
Pope Francis before a meeting with the faithful at the Vatican. April 28, 2022
(dpa) Pope Francis wants to intensify the fight against child abuse in the Catholic Church and will therefore receive regular information on the subject in the future. The pontiff asked the members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on Friday to provide him with an annual report on the Church’s actions.
The Commission, which was founded in 2014, will be formally integrated into the Curia in the future as a result of the new Vatican constitution. However, she remains independent and reports directly to the Pope, as Francis emphasized.
For years, the Catholic Church has been rocked by reports of clerical abuse of children, particularly in the past. “Abuse in any form is unacceptable. The sexual abuse of children is particularly bad because it harms life while it is just being formed,” said the Pope. “Instead of thriving, the abused get hurt, sometimes beyond repair.”
Active worldwide
Francis urged the commission, which is headed by US Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley and includes German Father Hans Zollner, to be active around the world. She should promote and monitor the dialogue with the bishops’ conferences, “to create places where the people who have been abused and their families can find contact points and be heard and where they can be accompanied on their path to healing and the search for justice,” said Francis.
The Argentine said his commission had already helped improve the situation. “The children and vulnerable people are safer today thanks to your commitment,” said the Pope, adding that the number of cases in those parts of the world where they are recorded has been falling for years.