With the publication of the first annual report, the president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors highlighted the Church’s concern to link justice with healing and the need to educate people that “these crimes are so common in our world”.
Vatican News
Vatican City, Wednesday, October 30, 2024 (REI): The inaugural annual report of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors emphasizes the role of the Church in educating people about the crime of abuse. The commission chairman says that if the church can “get its house in order” then it is doing a service to the community.
He highlighted the Church’s concern to do justice to the victims. The president maintains that in cases where the statute of limitations has expired, the church has “an even greater responsibility to engage in the administration of justice.” Recognizing that there is still work to be done, Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley expressed hope that the report could be a source of comfort. “We still have a long way to go, but we have started,” he said.
Vatican News: Your Excellency, thank you for joining us this morning. As you prepare to release the first annual safety report, can you give us an overview? An important part is the ten-year accounts of the Commission. Is this part of the Commission’s legacy?
Cardinal Omale: I think this is a very important moment for us. This is actually the third renewal of membership in the Commission. And of course, the first iteration was a big challenge because we were a group of about 20 volunteers, a very small staff, and our target group was the entire world. Certainly, the Holy Father has great confidence in us and, if we think about it, we have extraordinary members of the Commission. And so many experts from around the world, so many victims, parents of victims, some of them have spoken quite publicly about their stories and their experiences. Others have been more discreet. But he has made an incredible contribution to the life of the Commission.
And at first, the people who were excited about the commission thought that we were going to be a panacea and solve all the security problems in the church. And of course, with such unrealistic expectations, we faced a lot of criticism for not fulfilling all of their dreams right away.
On the other hand, there was a group that said: Okay, it’s solved now. We don’t need the commission and you’re just a nuisance. And so, there have been many challenges.
But as I said, the people who have worked on the Commission have been very independent people. And for the Vatican Commission, I think it’s one of the few where we’ve always had at least half, sometimes a majority, women. We have people who are not members of our church, members of other religions, people from all over the world who have very different experiences. But what they have in common is their passion for safety and their desire to listen to victims and somehow be their voice within the church.
Vatican News : I want to ask some specific questions about the report. There will be many questions and many things will arise as the days and weeks go by. The church appears to be focusing on security efforts as a priority to prevent this from happening again. When that happens, you have to deal with it and face those things. But the report also mentions issues of justice and compensation. Can you tell us a little bit about what the report says about this and what the Church is doing in those areas?
male cardinal: Without a doubt, our Commission has a greater responsibility in matters of security, but the Church must also be concerned about justice. And this is the responsibility of the Department for the Doctrine of the Faith, since these matters were entrusted there by Pope Benedict XVI; And local dioceses also have the responsibility to resolve the legal aspects of these matters and cooperate with civil governments.
That’s why the element of justice is very important there. Sometimes these issues go far beyond the limits. And in that case, I would say that the church has an even greater responsibility to get involved in the administration of justice, where the state is not going to investigate or prosecute or anything like that. And I think that’s why review boards have been an important part of finding the truth and addressing it fairly.
But unless there is justice there can be no treatment. People don’t just want to hear nice phrases or see documents if they have been harmed or harmed. They have the right to be heard and they have the right to feel that the church is going to repair the wrong that has been done to them.
Vatican News : You have pointed out that perhaps some people in the church are not enthusiastic about your work. We see that sometimes the Commission makes suggestions about best practices or what can be done for victims. And maybe people at church won’t listen to you. I know you don’t have direct qualifications to ensure compliance, but what can the church do to ensure leaders accept the suggestions you suggest to them?
male cardinal : We are trying to educate people. I think that’s the biggest job of the church: to teach very broadly about safety and its necessity. Many people are unaware of how common these crimes are in our world and our society. So my hope is that if the church can do a good job of putting our house in order, it will be a service to the community at large.
And we have seen this in the United States in many ways. Many other churches and organizations came to us and said, OK, you guys created these policies and you had this experience. Can you share it with us? And we have done it. But I think until people are aware of the widespread existence of bad behavior and then we commit to responding to it and making sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s like talking about the Holocaust like my Jewish friends. He said if you don’t remember what happened, you’re putting us at risk of it happening again. That’s why it’s very important that we keep that in people’s minds. This is not just a thing of the distant past. This is a commitment to the protection of children and young people now and in the future.
Vatican News : And in a word, what does the report say to victims and faithful Catholics who are still concerned about how the Church responds to abuse?
male cardinal : I hope that the breadth of the document serves as a consolation to you. I know some people are hoping for some kind of revelation. It’s not about that. It’s about evaluating what is being done to promote a culture of safety around the world, and some of these countries lack sufficient resources.
My own community’s mission is in Papua New Guinea. I have been there. People’s lives are very simple. There are 500 different languages. There is a lot of poverty there, a lot of illiteracy. And the church talks about security around the world. And when the bishops come to Rome on their ad limina visit, we ask them to report: How are the guidelines working for them? Where are you implementing them? What are the areas where you are not doing what needs to be done? What are the results?
And so, this conversation is happening all over the world. And the Commission’s attention has been particularly focused on the Global South, where it has been slow to engage in this security mission. But I think we have come a long way in that the bishops and the people there are doing more to learn more and train people in security and give them accountability, transparency, apostolic codes of conduct and selection of seminarians, novices and Masters and leaders in the church.
So this is happening now all over the world. And a few years ago this did not happen.
I hope people find comfort in that. We still have a long way to go but we have already started.
Cardinal O’Malley was born in the United States. He is a member of the Capuchin Franciscan order. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 2003 to August 2024, and became President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in 2014.
