Issued by the Catholic Center for Studies and Media - Jordan. Editor-in-chief Fr. Rif'at Bader - موقع أبونا abouna.org

Published on Thursday, 21 February 2019
Pope Francis opens the "Protection of Minors" Meeting

By Lydia O’Kane and Linda Bordoni/ vaticannews.va :

Pope Francis has opened the “Protection of Minors in the Church” Meeting in the Vatican telling the Bishops and Religious gathered, “the Holy People of God look to us and expect from us not simple and predictable condemnations, but concrete and effective measures to be prepared”.

The “Protection of Minors in the Church” Meeting began on Thursday, February 21, with prayers, readings, and brief periods of silent reflection, before Pope Francis gave his opening remarks in the Vatican’s Synod Hall. In front of the Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Religious Superiors and other leaders, the Pope told them that, “in the face of the plague of sexual abuse perpetrated by men of the Church against children”, he had called them together so, “we may listen to the Holy Spirit and with docility to His guidance we may hear the cry of the little ones who ask for justice.”

Evil of abuse that afflicts the Church and humanity

He told those gathered that this meeting was, “weighed down by the weight of pastoral and ecclesiastical responsibility which obliges us to discuss together, in a synodal, sincere and profound way, how to deal with this evil which afflicts the Church and humanity.”

Pope Francis noted that, “the Holy People of God look to us and expect from us not simple and predictable condemnations, but concrete and effective measures to be prepared”.

A Journey of Courage and Concreteness

“Let us therefore”, he commented, “begin our journey armed with faith and the spirit of maximum parresia [frankness], courage and concreteness.”

As a help, the Pope said, he wanted to share with them “some important criteria formulated by the various Commissions and Episcopal Conferences… They are guidelines to help our reflection which will be handed over to you. They are a simple starting point, which comes from you and returns to you, and does not take away from the creativity that must be present in this meeting.”

Concluding his remarks, Pope Francis thanked, “the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the members of the Organizing Committee for the excellent work done with great commitment in preparing this meeting.”

Finally, he asked the Holy Spirit to support all those gathered in the Synod Hall “in these days and to help us transform this evil into an opportunity for awareness and purification. May the Virgin Mary enlighten us to try to heal the serious wounds that the scandal of paedophilia has caused both to children and to believers.”

Archbishop Scicluna pledges to protect minors 'at all costs'

Archbishop Charles Jude Scicluna on Thursday addressed the 3-day Meeting on “The Protection of Minors in the Church” taking place in the Vatican and pledged to “protect minors at all cost”.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna's firmly grounded address to Presidents of Bishops' Conferences and other participants at the Vatican meeting provided those present with a vast panorama of existing practices, procedures and tools as well as a pledge to make sure that everything will be done, in the Church, to avoid the crimes and the wounds caused in the past.

Scicluna, who delivered the second presentation at the meeting, entitled “Taking Responsibility for Processing Cases of Sexual Abuse and for Prevention of Abuse”, is the Archbishop of Malta and Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Day one of the event has "Responsibility" as its main theme.

On behalf of the Holy See, Scicluna has been charged with conducting investigations into sexual abuse by clergy. He is also President of the canonical team (The College for Recourses) dealing with appeals filed by clergy accused of abuse.

In his long address on the first day of the meeting, Archbishop Scicluna highlighted the fact that the way Bishops exercise their ministry at the service of justice in our communities is one of the fundamental tests of their stewardship and, indeed, of their fidelity to the Church.

“We have been entrusted with the care of our people. It is our sacred duty to protect our people and to ensure justice when they have been abused”, he said.

Scicluna’s address illustrated the main phases of processes of individual cases of sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy.

He also gave some practical suggestions, which he said, are “dictated by prudence, best practice, and the paramount concern for the safeguarding of the innocence of our children and young people”.

Main phases in process

The Archbishop illustrated policies and tools that are in place in the Church regarding the “Reporting of Sexual Misconduct”, of “Investigating Cases of Sexual Misconduct”, of the “Canonical Penal Processes”, of the “Interface with Civil Jurisdiction”, of “Implementing Canonical Decisions” and of the “Prevention of Sexual Abuse”.

In his conclusion he quoted from Pope Francis’ Letter to the People of God (20 August 2018) saying : “It is essential that we, as a Church, be able to acknowledge and condemn, with sorrow and shame, the atrocities perpetrated by consecrated persons, clerics, and all those entrusted with the mission of watching over and caring for those most vulnerable. Let us beg forgiveness for our own sins and the sins of others. An awareness of sin helps us to acknowledge the errors, the crimes and the wounds caused in the past and allows us, in the present, to be more open and committed along a journey of renewed conversion.”

'We mean business'

“The faith community under our care” Archbishop Scicluna said, “should know that we mean business. They should come to know us as friends of their safety and that of their children and youth. We will engage them with candour and humility. We will protect them at all cost. We will lay down our lives for the flocks entrusted to us.”

For more information on the meeting on “The Protection of Minors in the Curch” and for Archbishop Charles Scicluna’s full address www.pbc2019.org