The Catholic Church must establish unified policies for compensating victims of sexual abuse by clergy, according to the Vatican’s child protection commission in its inaugural annual report.
For many years, the Church has been rocked by scandals worldwide involving the exposure of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy and subsequent cover-ups.
The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors underscored “the significance of compensation for victims/survivors as a tangible commitment to their healing process,” and committed to work “towards the development of standardized and transparent procedures in a more comprehensive manner.”
It mentioned that compensation is not solely financial but encompasses a wider array of actions, “…including admitting mistakes, offering public apologies, and other genuine forms of fraternal support to victims/survivors and their communities.”
A Vatican summit concluded with a statement expressing regret for the suffering endured by abuse victims (File image)
Pope Francis’s commission for protecting minors asserted that a more effective method is necessary to eliminate priests who have multiple sanctions for sexual abuse.
The persistence of priests engaging in repeated abuse illustrates the need for a “disciplinary or administrative” approach that ensures an “efficient path for resignation or removal from office,” as outlined in the report.
Pope Francis experienced some of the most intense criticism regarding clergy abuse during his September visit to Belgium, where both King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo urged more decisive actions for victims.
A Vatican bishops’ summit wrapped up on Saturday with a concluding statement apologizing repeatedly for the “untold and ongoing” suffering of Catholics who have been abused by clergy.
The report also advocated for increased transparency, including greater access for victims to related documents, clearer delineation of responsibilities among Vatican departments addressing abuse, and more effective punishment for offenders.
It acknowledged that previous “actions and/or inactions” by church leaders “have caused additional harm to victims/survivors of sexual abuse,” emphasizing the necessity for “a disciplinary or administrative proceeding that offers an effective path for resignation or removal from office.”
Pope Francis established the Vatican anti-abuse commission in 2014, marking it as the first of its kind.
Anne Barrett Doyle stated that Pope Francis “has demonstrated a clear aversion to transparency” (File image)
The commission has faced stern criticism from abuse survivors who argue that it has not taken adequate steps to ensure child protection.
“The global church must enact a genuine zero tolerance policy on sexual violence committed by clergy,” declared Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the US organization Bishop Accountability, which tracks abuse in the Church, when speaking to AFP earlier this year.
She urged the Catholic Church to publicly name convicted priests and maintained that “any priest found to have abused a child or vulnerable adult or credibly accused of such should be permanently barred from public ministry.”
Despite his efforts thus far, she commented: “Pope Francis has shown an absolute aversion to transparency.”
Maud de Boer Buquicchio, a Dutch lawyer and former UN special rapporteur on the sexual exploitation of children, who chaired the abuse commission report, indicated last week that it would facilitate a “shift in mindset within the church towards accountability and transparency.”
During the report’s preparation, “we were able to delve into many of the concerns regarding the lack of available data,” she noted.
The members of the abuse commission are appointed directly by Pope Francis and possess expertise across various fields related to safeguarding, including clinical psychology, law, and human rights.
However, two representatives of abuse survivors resigned in 2017, and last year, influential German Jesuit priest Hans Zollner also departed, voicing concerns over “structural and practical issues.”
Francesco Zanardi, founder of the Italian survivors group Rete L’Abuso (The Abuse Network), told AFP in 2023 that the commission was “absolutely ineffective.”
