The head of the Vatican office asks clerics and religious to report to the Church any suspicion of sexual assault or harassment. He also acknowledged the problem and hinted at changes “in the not distant future.”
He head of the vatican office who disciplines pedophile priests asked Tuesday to bishops around the world to report any suspected cases of abuse of minors to “clean up this situation.”
During decadesthe Catholic Church was shaken by scandals around the planet related to pedophile priests and the cover-up of his crimeswhich damaged its credibility and cost hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation.
The request to bishops around the world by the head of the Vatican office
“I want all the cases to come to lightso that the Church is transparent”, said Father John Joseph Kennedy, Irish cleric and head of the disciplinary section of the Vatican doctrinal office (DDF).
Pope Francisco
Reuters
“I am concerned about the countries and bishops that do not send us cases. It would be better if a truck arrived in front of (our office) with all the cases, we would get to work and clean up this situation,” he told reporters, although he did not clarify which countries or dioceses he suspected were not reporting. Kennedy, who rarely speaks to the press or appears in public and belongs to a secretive institution criticized for its lack of transparency, acknowledged the problem and hinted at changes “in the not-distant future.”
Victims of abusive priests
Victims of abusive priests, for example, routinely complain that they are not informed of investigations. Kennedy’s words were aside from a conference in Rome on sexual abuse of minors in Italya country where bishops were slower than in other parts of Europe to respond to scandals.
Kennedy, who works under the orders of Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, head of the DDF and one of Pope Francis’ closest aides, said that Around 77% of the cases reported to his office have to do with child abuse.
Both Francis and his predecessor, Benedict XVI, They promised “zero tolerance” against child abuse, But critics say the reforms introduced so far were not enough to root out abusive clerics and help their victims.
Source: Ambito
