Pedocrime in the Church: the Pope calls for a “new start”

Europe 1 with AFP 3:23 p.m., April 29, 2022

Pope Francis on Friday asked the pontifical commission for the protection of minors to send him an annual report on the fight against this scourge, calling for a "new start" because "there is still "a lot to do".

“If no progress is made, the faithful will continue to lose faith in their pastors”

"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. , young people and vulnerable adults".

Welcoming the decline in the number of sexual violence by clerics, the Argentine pontiff asked that a report be drawn up for him each year on the efforts made by the Church in this area in order to have "reliable information on what is going on and what needs to change".

"If no progress is made, the faithful will continue to lose faith in their pastors," he warned.

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.

"There is still a lot to do"

"Important seeds have been sown (...), but there is still much to do," said the pope, considering that 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 Church life."

“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. That is not my intention,” he added in reference to critics fearing the loss of independence of the commission.

He thus assured that it would remain "independent", headed by a president appointed by the pope.

Finally, the Holy Father invited the commission to “propose the best methods” in the fight against this scourge, “keeping in mind that justice and prevention are complementary”.

The pope “has given the commission a very clear mandate” and wants “that we ensure that the survivors are welcomed and that the door is opened to them when they call on the Church in their country”, declared during of a press conference with American Cardinal Sean O'Malley, chairman of the commission, shortly after the private audience.