The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, an organization of the Holy See responsible for the fight against child crime in the Church but criticized for its role deemed insufficient, announced on Wednesday March 29 the resignation of its most influential member.
"
The commission has learned that Father Hans Zollner has asked to be relieved of his duties as a member
," American Cardinal Sean O'Malley, chairman of the commission, said in a statement.
Resignation accepted by the Pope
This resignation, justified by the recent appointment of the person concerned as consultant for the diocese of Rome and his other responsibilities, was accepted by the pope "
with his deep thanks for his many years of service
", specified Cardinal O'Malley .
German Jesuit priest, Hans Zollner, recognized academic and close adviser to Pope Francis, is one of the main experts in the fight against pedocrime within the Catholic Church.
Created in 2014, this commission made up of religious and secular experts and integrated in 2022 into the Curia, the government of the Holy See, has in the past been the subject of severe criticism.
In 2016 and 2017, two of its members, the British Peter Saunders and the Irish Marie Collins, had slammed the door by denouncing the lack of cooperation in the Vatican.
Despite the measures taken by the Pope since his election in 2013, such as the lifting of papal secrecy on the sexual violence of the clergy or the obligation to report cases, associations of victims believe that concrete actions to fight against this scourge remain insufficient. .
