National Post (National Edition)
‘Seem to be platitudes’
The nearly 200 bishops, cardinals and heads of religious orders attending the conference were addressed by victims of predatory priests, with one telling them bluntly: “You are the physicians of the soul and yet, with rare exceptions, you have been transformed into murderers of the soul. What a terrible contradiction.”
No survivors of clergy abuse are speaking in person, but the Vatican played recorded testimony from five victims Thursday.
One survivor described the “total loss of the innocence of my youth.”
Another victim described receiving a skeptical reception from church authorities after reporting abuse.
“The first thing they did was to treat me as a liar, turn their backs and tell me that I, and others, were enemies of the church,” the victim said. “This pattern exists not only in Chile. It exists all over the world, and this must end.”
Another victim warned that clerical sex abuse in Asia was a “time bomb” waiting to explode.
The 21 points drawn up by the Pope are intended as a road map for the bishops and cardinals as they consider how to stamp out the scourge of priests raping and molesting children.
The first point called for the drawing up of “a practical handbook indicating the steps to be taken by authorities at key moments when a case emerges.”
Campaigners said such guidelines were already established within the Church.
“A handbook like this was drawn up in Canada back in 1992,” said Bernadette Howell, an abuse victim originally from Ireland but now living in Canada. “So after 25 years, this is not new. These seem to be platitudes.”
Peter Isely, the head of sur vivors’ group Ending Clergy Abuse, said: “It’s too vague. What counts would be zero tolerance, written into Church law.”
The Pope also discussed establishing rules that incorporate lay experts into abuse investigations.
Francis suggested “specific protocols” for handling accusations against bishops. The Pope also raised the possibility that “priests and bishops guilty of sexual abuse of minors leave public ministry” — a practice that advocates say should already be a universal church practice.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, one of the Vatican’s sex crimes investigators, described steps that prelates could take to improve safeguarding.
Scicluna said any diocese should tell Catholics that they have a right to report abuse — and advise them of a clear contact point for doing so.
When allegations are received, Scicluna said, they should be investigated “with the help of experts.”
Scicluna reminded the bishops that abuse “is also a crime in all civil jurisdictions.”
“The competence of the state authorities should be respected,” Scicluna said.
“Reporting laws should be followed carefully. And a spirit of collaboration will benefit both the church and society in general.”