The Vatican toughens laws against sexual abuse 1:57
(CNN Spanish) --
The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (CEV) reported this Wednesday that the protocols of the Catholic Church for the prevention of sexual abuse were updated.
The first vice president of the institution, Monsignor Mario Moronta, explained at a press conference that these are regulations to "create protective environments" starting from the preparation and training of people who will care for children, adolescents and other vulnerable populations.
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Among the protocols, there are also directives on how teachers, priests and catechists in school settings should treat minors.
In addition, the new protocol provides that minors should not live in the parish houses and in the catechetical activities in which there is coexistence, parents or representatives of the children will be required to be present, Moronta said.
“We reiterate the commitment to promote the dignity of children, adolescents and vulnerable people, as well as to protect them and offer them safe environments for their comprehensive development.
As pastors of the people of God, we feel deeply dismayed and hurt by the situations of abuse that occur in various instances of our country, ”said the religious at the beginning of his statement.
The announcement comes two weeks after The Washington Post published an investigation that found that in Venezuela, some priests convicted of abuse returned to ministry.
Asked about the restitution of religious, Moronta said that most of the cases that are certain have been sanctioned with the resignation of the clerical state, that is, they can no longer exercise the priesthood.
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Finally, Moronta affirmed that in most of the cases of sexual abuse that were attended there was no omission.
"The fact that perhaps there are some bishops or some religious superiors, entities of the Church that have not taken the corresponding steps, does not mean that there is an omission but perhaps an incorrect praxis in this field," he pointed out.