VATICAN CITY
Gazzetta del Sud
Vatican City, December 5 – Pope Francis has decided to set up a special commission to advise him on how the Catholic Church should protect children and help the victims of sexual abuse by the clergy. A panel of eight cardinals who have been advising the pontiff on reforms suggested he set up the commission, the details of which will be described in depth in a forthcoming papal announcement. Officials said the commission will report on the current status of abuse victims, as well as propose clergy and laypersons to oversee the implementation of new initiatives. According the Vatican, those new initiatives will likely include guidelines and standards for the protection of children, training programs, criminal background checks and psychiatric evaluations for those who work with children and minors, and protocols for collaborating with civil authorities and for reporting offenses.
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