IRELAND
Irish Times
Sorcha Pollak, Patsy McGarry
The new Vatican tribunal created by Pope Francis to deal with bishops who fail to protect children from being sexually abused by priests should deal retrospectively with past allegations of sexual abuse, says survivor Marie Collins.
Ms Collins, who is the only Irish member of the Vatican Commission for the Protection of Minors, told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme that the main recommendations of the commission would focus on accountability for incidences of sexual abuse.
“If he (a bishop) doesn’t have the right attitude to abuse, or if he doesn’t deal with a case properly and it means a child is not kept safe, then he will have to answer to his own higher authority as well as to civil authority,” said Ms Collins.
“This is to make sure that as far as the church laws go, a bishop can longer… just behave as he wishes.”
The new tribunal within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will be able to hold bishops to account for mishandling or covering up allegations of clerical child sex abuse. To date no Catholic bishop has been removed from office by the Vatican for his role in covering up clerical child sex abuse.
Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin said he would support any initiative that made clear the church was not a safe haven for people who abuse children, adding that justice would be treated retrospectively.
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