Vatican Commission Criticizes Church Leadership for Slow Response to Abuse Victims

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The Vatican's child protection office issued an internal report accusing senior Catholic leaders of being too slow to assist victims of clergy sexual abuse and of not implementing adequate safeguarding measures.

"In many cases ... victims/survivors report that the Church has responded with empty settlements, performative gestures, and a persistent refusal to engage with victims/survivors in good faith," said the report.

The Vatican commission, created by the late Pope Francis in 2014, highlighted a lack of transparency, delays in investigations, and insufficient resources dedicated to abuse prevention efforts within the Church, Premier Christian News reported.

"Resources is a major issue," Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, the head writer of the report, as well as a Dutch jurist and commission member, told a press conference. "It's a matter of availability of funding and the scarcity of funding is a reality everywhere."

The report also found that Italian bishops did not fully cooperate with the commission, noting that 81 out of Italy’s 226 Catholic dioceses answered a questionnaire sent to them about safeguarding practices. Meanwhile, South Korea’s dioceses had 100% participation.

Commission members have also met with Pope Leo, who was elected in May to replace Francis, who passed away in April. Leo also appointed a French archbishop to lead the group as its president in July. 

Despite Francis’s creation of the commission to report suspicions of abuse or cover-ups by bishops, there remains a call for a no-tolerance policy from victims and advocates for priests accused of abuse.

"The lack of accountability for Church leaders was a frequent issue raised by victims/survivors," said the report, which also denounced the Vatican for not clarifying when bishops are removed due to abuse or cover-ups.

"The Commission emphasizes the importance of publicly communicating the reasons for resignation and/or removal, when the decision is related to cases of abuse or negligence."

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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.