Forming a type of leadership that promotes safety for everyone, especially children

Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, one of the main organisers of the ongoing Catholic Church Summit for the Prevention of Sexual Abuse, said that the summit will bring Church leaders from around the world to provide a vision of leadership for the future.

Archbishop Scicluna was invited to speak on the Witness programme, which is produced by the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, hosted by the Foundation’s CEO, Fr Thomas Rosica. The Archbishop spoke about his family and background and about his work as a Promoter of Justice and how the horrific sexual abuse cases, or what are known as delicta graviora (grave offences), although heart-breaking, give him a sense of determination to end the suffering of the innocent at the hands of members of the Church. The interview took place at the Venerable English College in Rome on 18 February.

Today marks the closing of the four-day Vatican Summit on the Prevention of Sex Abuse which marks a turning point in the way the Catholic Church handles the problem of sex-abuse amongst its clergy, especially towards minors. It brought together bishops and other members of the clergy from around the world to discuss the ways by which the Catholic Church can stop this form of abuse, especially in certain places where Church officials still deny that any form of sexual abuse exists in their clergy, or else downplay the problem altogether.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna has worked closely on numerous cases of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by members of the Clergy. He began working on such cases in 1995, at the beginning of his Vatican career, where he was first appointed as Deputy Promoter of Justice at the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (Supreme Court of the Church) and in 2002 was appointed Promoter of Justice in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later to become Pope Benedict XVI).

In November last year, Archbishop Scicluna was appointed Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the body responsible for dealing with clerical sex abuse, and is one of the protagonists in the fight to eliminate the sexual abuse of minors by the clergy and other members of the Church.

He explained that he is currently working closely with Pope Francis, who he described as being full of ‘great humanity and an extraordinary human being, full of wisdom and a great listener.’ He said that the Pope is fully aware of the current situation and just how important the summit is, adding that “The Pope does not say things he does not believe (…) and is a person who realises when he has not done the right thing and that it should be done differently. We are in the hands of a leader who needs – and wants – to get it right.”

Archbishop Scicluna said that the aim of the summit is to bring together leaders of the Catholic Church from around the world to provide a vision of leadership for the future, and not so much a book of rules. He said that it will bring about a discussion on the commitment, responsibility, accountability and transparency of the Church’s leadership. “These are key words in a style of leadership that promotes a safe environment for our children and young people.”

The Archbishop told how Friday evenings were dedicated to reading and discussing the horrific narratives of those who had suffered sexual abuse by members of the Clergy. “Cardinal Ratzinger called them our ‘Friday Penance’ as we suffered reading these narratives, but nothing could compare to the suffering and trauma that these innocent young men and women faced during what was meant to be part of the spiritual aspect of their being.” He explained how he and the rest of the Congregation had learnt through the wisdom and support of Cardinal Ratzinger.

When asked how he deals with the hundreds of sex abuse cases with which he has been faced, Archbishop Scicluna said that although it was difficult, the Church had take a stand and do what was necessary to stop such abuse. “The Church should be a safe place, especially for children, and someone has to make sure that this is the case. It is a privilege to be involved in ensuring that it is.” The Archbishop has also met many victims: people who have suffered at the hands of the Church – both physically and psychologically. “When Jesus was crucified, he also became a victim and when you are helping these victims and treating their wounds, you are treating the wounds of Jesus.”

As a result of this summit, he said, once Church leaders are back in their home country, they should

have the courage to face any challenges or forms of resistance. He said that the process for change has been ongoing for quite some time, and that the Holy See has been addressing the issue of sexual misconduct since the 1980s.

In respect of what follow-up action can be expected from the Summit, the Archbishop said that the immediate one would be to discuss the introduction of proposed changes in legislation. He pointed out that the world is on the same page when it comes to discussing policies dictated by Pope Francis and checks would be necessary to ensure that the changes are being made. “The long-term result of the Summit is the change in culture throughout the Roman Catholic Church and an end to this abuse.”

The Archbishop ended the interview with the quote “a tree that falls in a forest makes a huge sound, but a forest that grows, grows silently.” He said that the Catholic Church has many good religious male and female priests who never make any headlines and who are doing an excellent job in serving the word of God and making a difference. “As an Archbishop, I have had the privilege to meet these priests on a daily basis. There is hope because there is so much good in the Catholic Church which, unfortunately, is eclipsed by these unfortunate narratives that we cannot dismiss and cannot forget and we have to be thankful for the great mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.”