Fr. Hans Zollner Resigns from Position in the Vatican's Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors Mentioning Concerns

Fr. Hans Zollner, SJ, age 56, has resigned from his position Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. He is the director of the Institute of Anthropology, Interdisciplinary Studies on Human Dignity and Care (IADC), of the Pontifical Gregorian University. The institute, IADC, offers advanced degrees in the area of protection from abuse. It was previously called the Center for Child Protection.

This year, Fr. Hans Zollner was appointed a consultant to the Diocese’s newly established office dedicated to the protection of minors and vulnerable persons. The creation of the office within the Diocese of Rome, which is among several key changes introduced by Pope Francis in his recent apostolic constitution In Ecclesiarum Communione, is a testament to the fact that safeguarding must be a priority for all Catholic dioceses around the world.

In his resignation letter (released on his Linkedin account), Zollner writes, "the protection of children and vulnerable persons must be at the heart of the Catholic Church’s mission.”  “That was the hope I and many others have shared since the commission was first established in 2014. However, in my work with the commission, I have noticed issues that need to be urgently addressed and which have made it impossible for me to continue further."
"The protection of children and vulnerable persons must be at the heart of the Catholic Church’s mission,” he said. 

 Citing "responsibility, compliance, accountability and transparency," he explains, "I am convinced that these are principles that any Church institution, let alone the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, is bound to uphold." See: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hans-zollner-sj-b4734830_statement-on-my-resignation-from-the-pontifical-activity-7046882826067030017-sL4J