Vatican institution calls for compensation for abused minors and action against priests | Sexual Assault News

The Vatican commission’s report includes the first assessment of the church’s efforts to address the crisis of clergy sexual abuse.

The Catholic Church should grant victims of sexual abuse by clergy the right to compensation and make it easier for priests to be dismissed, the Vatican’s child protection commission said in its first annual report.

The 50-page report, released Tuesday, is the first global assessment of the church’s efforts to address the sexual abuse crisis within its ranks.

For decades, the church has been rocked by worldwide scandals about pedophile priests and the cover-up of their crimes, damaging the church’s credibility and costing it hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, established by Pope Francis a decade ago, said the church was emerging from a “dark period” in which “church leaders tragically failed those we are called to shepherd.”

Former US archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who has been listening to victims of abuse for decades, said at a press conference that a new era has begun in which “responsibility, care and concern for victims begins to shed light on the darkness.”

The commission emphasized “the importance of compensation for victims/survivors as a concrete commitment to their healing journey” and pledged to work “for the more comprehensive development of standardized and recognized procedures.”

He said there should be a clear policy on compensation, not just financial, but also “admitting mistakes, publicly apologizing”.

The commission said it would address the compensation issue in more depth in next year’s report.

Tuesday’s report also called for victims to be given greater access to documents related to them, for a clearer division of duties among Vatican departments dealing with abuse and for more effective punishment of offenders.

Francis was last questioned on the issue during his visit to Belgium in September, and both the king and the prime minister called for more concrete action.

Since becoming leader of the church in 2013, Francis has taken a number of measures to combat abuse, including punishing senior clergy and requiring people to report suspicions of sexual assault to church officials.

However, while statements made during confessions remain confidential, clergy are still under no obligation to report abuse to civil authorities unless required by that country’s law.

On Saturday, a Vatican summit of world bishops ended with officials issuing a written statement apologizing for the “untold and ongoing” suffering suffered by abuse victims.

They noted the need for “a disciplinary or administrative investigation that provides an effective means for resignation or dismissal.”

But Tuesday’s report gave no details on how this should be done and did not say whether action would be taken against priests convicted or newly suspected of abuse.

The Vatican commission has faced harsh criticism from abuse victims who say it has not implemented effective reforms to protect children.

The report warned that progress around the world has varied significantly. While it was stated that in some regions, the abuse of clergy was not yet “a publicized issue in their societies”, it was stated that protection measures were “insufficient” in some parts of Central and South America, Africa and Asia.