ROME (VATICAN CITY)
NZ Catholic via Catholic News Service
October 25, 2017
NZ Catholic Staff
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A New Zealand member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has said the Church needs to listen better to victims of sexual abuse.
Bill Kilgallon, the director of the National Office for Professional Standards in this country, was among members of the commission who met Pope Francis at the Vatican on September 21.
Mr Kilgallon told the Catholic News Service that the Church needs to listen better to victims of abuse and it must be clear, firm and honest in proving that abuse has no place in its institutions.
Protecting children is not only central to Christ’s teachings, but “you can’t give people their childhood back. We get only one chance”, he said.
Mr Kilgallon added that as the commission helps advise dioceses, bishops’ conferences and religious orders about best practices and good guidelines, “those churches which have good structures and good safeguarding arrangements, the risk is that they become complacent”.
It is vital these countries keep “renewing and reviewing” their policies and practices, especially with external audits, he said.
“We know what you need for a safe environment,” he said, but the problems are: convincing countries that are struggling because of a lack of information, resources or personnel to reach out for help; getting information to everyone, including parents and children; and convincing those with guidelines in place that they need to be coupled with real action.
The CNS story reported that more than 200 workshops or seminars have been held all over the world, including at the Vatican, seeking to raise awareness about the crime of sexual abuse against minors and vulnerable adults, and the Church’s duty to educate, train and protect its members.
But commission members acknowledge that more needs to be done. On September 21, Pope Francis had his first face-to-face discussion with members of the commission that was formed in 2014 and, during the meeting, members summarised the work they have accomplished and detailed a number of recommendations, including regarding the invocation of “pontifical secret” during abuse investigations and trials.
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