Pope Francis asked this Friday, May 5, that victims of sexual assault by clerics be more helped in developing countries, while receiving members of his much criticized commission for the protection of minors.
The 86-year-old pontiff created this Pontifical Commission in 2014, in response to the scandal of pedophile priests which discredited the Catholic Church.
On Friday, Francis again criticized the “
mismanagement
” by the leaders of the Catholic Church of what he called the “
terrible scourge
” of these attacks.
“Persevere and go forward”
“
Don't be discouraged when it seems like little is changing for the better.
Persevere and move forward
,” he told the newly appointed members of the Commission.
“
You are using your skills and expertise to help fix a terrible scourge in the Church by working to help the various particular churches
” around the world, he said.
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He cited in particular inequalities in Africa, Asia and South America, where victims do not receive the same help as in countries in the northern hemisphere and where training programs for clergy are insufficient.
“
It is not normal that the most prosperous regions of the world have well-structured and well-funded prevention programs, where the victims and their families are respected while in other parts of the world the victims suffer in silence, perhaps rejected or stigmatized when they try to come forward to tell the stories of the attacks they have suffered
”, he underlined.
Structural problems
The Pontifical Commission has been hit with a series of problems since its inception, with two victims resigning from the organization in 2017, while in March its most influential member, Hans Zollner, also stepped down.
Hans Zollner, the last founding member still in place, accused the commission of structural problems and a lack of transparency.
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Francis tried to strengthen the commission by integrating it into the Vatican department responsible for dealing with cases of sexual assault committed by clergy.
The Commission also reached a new agreement in April with the Vatican Dicastery (Ministry) for Evangelization.
The head of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, admitted at the time that communicating the laws and guidelines imposed by the Vatican to churches in other regions was a challenge.