(ANSA) – ROME, MAY 28 – Pope Leo has the fight against clerical child abuse at heart, the head of the pontifical commission for safeguarding minors said Wednesday.
“The first answer is that we do not have a Pope who is only an American from the North, he is an American Pope in every sense of the word, he eats hot dogs but also this Peruvian cuisine that is so good, therefore he has a broad view, not only for his missionary work but also as a representative of the Augustinians who has traveled a lot around the world, I was lucky enough to speak with the then Cardinal Prevost and I can give a testimony, that he has this issue in his heart, he is very aware of the reality of the church in many parts of the world and of what we must do to develop policies of prevention and accompaniment for victims”, said Mons. Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, Colombian bishop, auxiliary of Bogota and from 15 March 2024 secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, speaking at the event “Protect, prevent, train. The territorial network for the protection of minors and vulnerable adults”, organized by the National Service for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerables of the Italian Episcopal Conference to present the Third Territorial Survey on the activities of the Regional, diocesan/interdiocesan Services and Listening Centers in the two-year period 2023-2024.
“I hope that this topic will be very important to him – added Msgr. Herrera -, in fact one of the first people he received in audience was Cardinal Sean O’Malley, champion of the fight against abuse, and we as a pontifical commission will have an audience with him next week, for him the topic that brings us together today is very important, he will keep it in his heart”.
The Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) said in its third report on clerical sex abuse that there were 115 alleged victims in Italy between 2023 and 2024.
“In 2023-2024, the alleged victims of abuse were 115 of whom 64 males and 51 females,” said the report.
“In the same period, there were 69 cases of alleged abuse, of which 27 occurred in the parish. The alleged perpetrators of abuse, 67 in total, are mainly clerics”.
The cases are said to have increased from 32 to 37 between 2023 and 2024. The alleged “spiritual and conscience abuses” went from 4 to 17 cases, the CEI said.
The data were presented as part of the event “Protect, prevent, train. The territorial network for the protection of minors and vulnerable adults”, organized by the National Service for the protection of minors and vulnerable people of the Italian Episcopal Conference and emerge from the Third Territorial Survey which analyzes the activities of the Regional, diocesan/interdiocesan Services and Listening Centers in the two-year period 2023-2024.
The analysis of the cases revealed an increase in reports of alleged abuse with particular attention to different typologies and the places where they occur.
“The parish – it says – emerges as the most common place for reported abuse. The age group most affected among the alleged victims is 10-14 years (31.3%). The majority of the alleged abusers are clerics (44 out of 67) and almost all are male (65 out of 67)”.
The comparison between the two latest investigations highlights an increase in the average age of the alleged perpetrator of abuse, which goes from 43 years in 2022 to 50 years in 2023-2024.
“With reference to lay people, the detail relating to the pastoral service performed indicates that the alleged perpetrators of the crime, at the time of the report, performed the following roles: catechist/educator (4), volunteer (3), collaborator (2), religion teacher (1), seminarian (1), sacristan”. (ANSA).
Read article…
“The first answer is that we do not have a Pope who is only an American from the North, he is an American Pope in every sense of the word, he eats hot dogs but also this Peruvian cuisine that is so good, therefore he has a broad view, not only for his missionary work but also as a representative of the Augustinians who has traveled a lot around the world, I was lucky enough to speak with the then Cardinal Prevost and I can give a testimony, that he has this issue in his heart, he is very aware of the reality of the church in many parts of the world and of what we must do to develop policies of prevention and accompaniment for victims”, said Mons. Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, Colombian bishop, auxiliary of Bogota and from 15 March 2024 secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, speaking at the event “Protect, prevent, train. The territorial network for the protection of minors and vulnerable adults”, organized by the National Service for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerables of the Italian Episcopal Conference to present the Third Territorial Survey on the activities of the Regional, diocesan/interdiocesan Services and Listening Centers in the two-year period 2023-2024.
“I hope that this topic will be very important to him – added Msgr. Herrera -, in fact one of the first people he received in audience was Cardinal Sean O’Malley, champion of the fight against abuse, and we as a pontifical commission will have an audience with him next week, for him the topic that brings us together today is very important, he will keep it in his heart”.
The Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) said in its third report on clerical sex abuse that there were 115 alleged victims in Italy between 2023 and 2024.
“In 2023-2024, the alleged victims of abuse were 115 of whom 64 males and 51 females,” said the report.
“In the same period, there were 69 cases of alleged abuse, of which 27 occurred in the parish. The alleged perpetrators of abuse, 67 in total, are mainly clerics”.
The cases are said to have increased from 32 to 37 between 2023 and 2024. The alleged “spiritual and conscience abuses” went from 4 to 17 cases, the CEI said.
The data were presented as part of the event “Protect, prevent, train. The territorial network for the protection of minors and vulnerable adults”, organized by the National Service for the protection of minors and vulnerable people of the Italian Episcopal Conference and emerge from the Third Territorial Survey which analyzes the activities of the Regional, diocesan/interdiocesan Services and Listening Centers in the two-year period 2023-2024.
The analysis of the cases revealed an increase in reports of alleged abuse with particular attention to different typologies and the places where they occur.
“The parish – it says – emerges as the most common place for reported abuse. The age group most affected among the alleged victims is 10-14 years (31.3%). The majority of the alleged abusers are clerics (44 out of 67) and almost all are male (65 out of 67)”.
The comparison between the two latest investigations highlights an increase in the average age of the alleged perpetrator of abuse, which goes from 43 years in 2022 to 50 years in 2023-2024.
“With reference to lay people, the detail relating to the pastoral service performed indicates that the alleged perpetrators of the crime, at the time of the report, performed the following roles: catechist/educator (4), volunteer (3), collaborator (2), religion teacher (1), seminarian (1), sacristan”. (ANSA).
Read article…
