“We Will Continue to Be Severe in Our Approach to the Paedophilia Issue”

Vatican Insider
February 6, 2013

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/pedofilia-paedophilia-pedofilia-21978/

Robert Oliver

A year has passed since the “Towards Healing and Renewal” Symposium - organised by the Gregorian University with the support of numerous dioceses and the Vatican Curia – which was intended as an occasion to reflect on and share the progress made by the Catholic Church in dealing with the sex abuse scandal.

Twelve months on, a meeting was held at the same university for the presentation – in 12 languages – of the proceedings of that Symposium. An occasion to look at all that has been done in terms of prevention and training since the suggestions were made at the Symposium. The Gregorian University’s Center for Child Protection is putting together an online programme – the project is still in its experimental phase which started a few months ago – that will allow all Church staff, from priests to catechists to volunteers, to prevent and respond to cases of abuse.

The goal of this initiative – which for the moment is being aimed at 250 people in 8 pilot countries – is to show that “we intend to take the word “path” seriously,” said Fr. Hans Zollner, head of the university’s Institute of Psychology and one of the Symposium’s promoters on 2012. The "road [to combating sex abuse against minors in the Church] will be long and difficult because of resistance, conflicts and tensions," the Jesuit admitted, but the Gregorian University’s initiative “has created increased awareness of the extent of the problem in many parts of the world” and was “a crucial step in the efforts being made to achieve justice for abuse victims.”

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s new sexual crimes prosecutor, Fr. Robert Oliver also made his first public appearance at the Gregorian. The priest, who acquired a great deal of experience from his time in Boston, which is the “epicentre” of the crisis in the U.S. – explained that the Congregation receives on average 600 reports of sexual abuse a year from all Continents, reaching a peak of 800 in 2004. Almost all reported cases refer to abuse committed in the period between 1965 and 1985.

Fr. Oliver also explained that approximately three out of four Episcopal Conferences throughout the world have submitted their abuse guidelines as requested by the Vatican and that the Congregation has started sending feedback on these.

Fr. Oliver – who was appointed by the Pope last 22 December but only took up the post that was previously held by the Maltese Charles J. Scicluna, last Friday – said “important steps forward” have been made with regard to the paedophilia issue. He added that his work is in complete continuity with the efforts of his superiors and predecessors and in line with the Pope’s plan of action, he explained. Our task – he added – is to serve all humans on the path towards healing and renewal. The Church has taken this path.

According to Fr. Oliver, one of the key elements of the Church’s response to the scandal that have been the focus of these past few years, has been the effort to listen and support victims and their families. But the American priest also praised the media for the role they have played. Even though certain media, in the U.S. for example, have taken an aggressive approach, "I think that certainly those who continued to put before us that we need to confront this problem did a service," he said. "They (the media) helped to keep the energy, if you will, to keep the movement going so that we would, honestly and with transparency, and with our strength, confront what is true.”