VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV met with members of the Vatican’s little one safety advisory fee on Thursday for the primary time amid questions on his past handling of clergy sex abuse instances and calls for from survivors that he enact a real coverage of zero tolerance for abuse throughout the Catholic Church.
The Pontifical Fee for the Safety of Minors, which is made up of spiritual and lay consultants in combating abuse in addition to survivors, known as the hourlong viewers a “vital second of reflection, dialogue, and renewal of the church’s unwavering dedication to the safeguarding of youngsters and weak folks.” The group mentioned it up to date historical past’s first American pope on its actions, together with an initiative to assist church communities in poorer components of the world forestall abuse and take care of victims.
The Vatican didn’t present the textual content of Leo’s remarks or make the audio of the viewers accessible to reporters.
Pope Francis created the fee early on in his hold forth to advise the church on greatest practices and positioned a trusted official, Boston’s then-archbishop, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, in cost.
However because the abuse scandal unfold globally throughout Francis’ 12-year hold forth, the fee misplaced its affect its crowning suggestion — the creation of a tribunal to evaluate bishops who coated up for predator monks — went nowhere. After a few years of reform and new members, it has turn out to be a spot the place victims can go to be heard and bishops can get recommendation on crafting pointers to battle abuse.
O’Malley turned 80 final yr and retired as archbishop of Boston, however he stays president of the fee and headed the delegation assembly with Leo within the Apostolic Palace.
It has typically fallen to O’Malley to talk out on egregious instances which have arrived on the Vatican, together with one that is still on Leo’s desk: The destiny of the ex-Jesuit artist, the Rev. Marko Rupnik, who has been accused by two dozen girls of sexual, psychological and non secular abuse over many years.
After coming beneath criticism {that a} fellow Jesuit had apparently acquired preferential therapy, Francis in 2023 ordered the Vatican to waive the statute of limitations on the case and prosecute him canonically. However as not too long ago as March, the Vatican nonetheless hadn’t discovered judges to open the trial. In the meantime, the victims are nonetheless ready for justice and Rupnik continues to minister, together with his supporters defending him and denouncing a “media lynching” marketing campaign towards him.
Leo, the Chicago-born former Cardinal Robert Prevost, has been credited by victims of serving to to dismantle an abusive Catholic movement in Peru, the place he served as bishop for a few years. However different survivors have requested him to account for different instances whereas he was a superior within the Augustinian spiritual order, bishop in Peru and head of the Vatican’s bishops’ workplace.
The principle U.S. survivor group, SNAP, has additionally known as for Leo to undertake the U.S. coverage calling for any priest who has been credibly accused of abuse to be completely faraway from ministry.
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