Irish victim of sex abuse quits Vatican committee

Vatican City, March 1: Marie Collins, an Irish survivor of clerical sex abuse, on Wednesday resigned from a panel set up by Pope Francis to address the issue, accusing senior Vatican officials of “shameful” resistance to its work.

Ms Collins’ departure is an embarrassing blow to the Pope’s attempts to demonstrate that the Church is serious about combating a scourge that has damaged its image over recent decades.

She is the second survivor to leave the panel.

Briton Peter Saunders was sidelined in 2016 after a row with members over how to handle allegations of serial abuse by an Italian priest that were brought to the panel.

He said he felt betrayed by the Pope and that he had been tricked into taking part in a “smoke and mirrors” exercise.

Ms Collins said she felt Francis had acted sincerely when he set up the panel to advise him on steps to make minors safer. “However, despite the Holy Father approving all recommendations made to him by the Commission, there have been constant setbacks,” she said.

“This has been directly due to the resistance by some members of the Vatican Curia to the work of the panel. The lack of co-operation, particularly by the dicastery closely involved in dealing with cases of abuse, has been shameful,” Ms Collins said.