Papal abuse commission presents first annual report

October 29, 2024

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has issued its first full annual report, calling for greater efforts to help victims of sexual abuse, faster and more transparent handling of sex-abuse complaints, and support for dioceses that lack the means to develop effective abuse-prevention programs.

The 50-page report, which includes data from dioceses all around the world, is a response to a directive that Pope Francis gave to the Commission in 2020, asking for an annual report on its work. The report issued on October 29 covers the 2023 calendar year.

The report centers on the need to help victims of abuse, and suggests “the need to better promote victims’/survivors’ access to information.” At present, the Commission reports, the “opaque canonical procedures” that victims encounter can aggravate their suffering. “Measures should be explored that provide the right of any individual to any information relating to him/her,” the report urges.

The Commission also calls for faster resolution of complaints that are brought before the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), which handles disciplinary treatment of cases involving clerical abuse. The report notes that some cases are not resolved for several years, and recommends that bishops contact the Vatican to voice their “concern and frustration with the time it takes for the dicastery’s disciplinary section to process a case.”

The report’s candid criticism of the DDF reflects the continuing tension between the papal sex-abuse commission and other Vatican dicasteries, which have sometimes resisted the commission’s recommendations. The DDF in particular, citing concerns for privacy, has withheld some information about cases it is currently investigating— thus making it difficult for the abuse commission to obtain full information about the number of abuse complaints and their disposition.

At a press conference introducing the report, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the Commission’s chairman, thanked Pope Francis for his “bold vision and leadership in promotion of the Church’s closeness to victims and commitment to its safeguarding ministry.” The American prelate said that after “a deceitful period where Church leaders tragically failed those we are called to shepherd, the Church has now embarked on a new era…

… where accountability, care and concern for victims is beginning to bring light to the darkness. It is a period where robust reporting systems are in place allowing us to listen and respond to victims, with a trauma-informed approach. It is a period where risk management protocols and informed oversight promote safe environments.

The annual report called for more clarity in defining the “vulnerable adults” who should be protected from abuse, pointing toward efforts to prevent abuse by religious superiors and others in positions of authority.

In a survey of current standards for prevention and punishment of abusive behavior, the Commission found that “while some Church entities and Church authorities demonstrate a clear commitment to safeguarding, others are only at the beginning of undertaking the Church’s responsibility.” The report noted with approval that abuse-prevention efforts are now regularly assessed when a country’s bishops travel to Rome for their ad limina visits.

Still the Commission reported that in some areas, episcopal conferences show a “troubling lack of reporting structures and victim/survivor accompaniment services,” in many cases because of inadequate resources. The report suggested providing help for bishops in needy countries to build up the necessary services. And in a letter accompanying the report, Cardinal O’Malley suggested that “we seek to develop a platform for sharing both good practices and the challenges faced in the local churches.”

Cardinal O’Malley, who has chaired the papal commission since it was first formed in 2013, presented the report to Pope Francis in a private audience on October 29. He was accompanied by Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, the Bolivian secretary of the Commission, and by Teresa Kettelkamp, the group’s adjunct secretary.

 

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Further information:

• Annual Report (full text from Vatican)
• Safeguarding Minors: First Report calls for ‘rigorous’ response (Vatican News)
• Pope’s child protection board urges transparency from Vatican sex abuse office, compensation (AP)
• Press Conference to present the Annual Report of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (Vatican press office)