Pope Francis: “It is time to remedy the damage done” by the abuses of the clergy

He Pope Francisco today told the Vatican Commission for the Protection of Minors, created during his pontificate, that “now is the time to remedy the damage done to past generations and to those who continue to suffer” by the clergy abusewhen receiving the members of the organization that are celebrating their assembly.

It was a long-awaited speech by the pontiff after the German Jesuit Hans Zollner, one of the leading experts in the fight against child abuse in the Church, decided to stop being a member of this body, of which he had been a part since its creation. , after denouncing lack of transparency and disagreements because of how it works.

In addition, last week, the former president of Ireland Mary McAleese and the activist and abuse victim Marie Collins asked Francisco by letter for “an independent and external review” of this body created in 2014 and defended Zollner, as published by the The Irish Times.

“The Church must strive to become an example of welcome and good behavior,” said the Pope, who stressed that “efforts to improve the guidelines and standards of conduct for the clergy must continue.”

In this sense, he has invited the members of the commission to prepare a report “on what they believe works well and what does not”, in order “to be able to make the appropriate changes”, and has assured that “much has been done in these first six months”, but “that more can be done”.

In his long speech, the Pope also stated that “the sexual abuse of minors by the clergy and its mismanagement by ecclesiastical leaders has been one of the greatest challenges for the Church.”