Card. O’Malley: Church leaders must listen to the voices of victims of abuse

Sep 10, 2018

By Linda Bordoni
The safeguard and the protection of minors from clerical sexual abuse has become an urgent priority for the Catholic Church that is increasingly under pressure to give a credible and robust response to victims, their families, their communities and to all Catholic faithful.

One body that was established to do so is the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors that was established as an advisory body to the Pope.

Headed by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, its mandate is to propose the most opportune initiatives for protecting minors and vulnerable adults in order that the Church may do everything possible to ensure that crimes such as those which have occurred are no longer repeated.

It does so by uniting its efforts to those of other institutions and to bishops’ conferences across the world and producing tools like guidelines, good-practices and formation courses for Church leadership.

A press release was published on Sunday at the conclusion of the Commission’s 9^th Plenary Assembly that took place in the Vatican.

Cardinal O’Malley spoke to Vatican News’ Sergio Centofanti about the most urgent and significant issues Commission members focused on during the Assembly.

Asked whether, given the present situation, is the Church really listening to survivors and learning from them, Cardinal O’Malley said “recent events in the Church have us all focused on the urgent need for a clear response on the part of the Church for the sexual abuse of minors”.--Vatican News