Church/Abuse: Bishops announce the creation of a new commission to accompany victims
Portuguese Episcopal Conference will hold a memorial, on World Youth Day
Fátima, 03 Mar 2023 (Ecclesia) – The Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP) announced today in Fátima the creation of a “specific group” to continue the work of listening to victims and collecting possible reports of sexual abuse of minors
"We are available to welcome your listening through a specific group, which will be articulated with the National Coordination Team of the Diocesan Commissions for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults", indicates the concluding communiqué of this Friday's Extraordinary Plenary Assembly, dedicated to the analysis of the Independent Commission's final report.
On February 13, in Lisbon, the Independent Commission (CI) for the Study of Sexual Abuse of Children in the Catholic Church in Portugal, designated by the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, presented its final report, after 12 months of work, in which it validated 512 testimonies, pointing to a number of 4815 victims, between 1950 and 2022.
The president of the CEP specified that the new body follows the guidelines of the CI, which articulated directly with the bishops, maintaining the “character of independence”, but responding directly to the national coordination of the diocesan commissions.
D. José Ornelas assumed the intention of maintaining the “virtuous model” of the CI, to present a new team that “has credibility before the victims” to receive their testimony.
The CEP communiqué highlights the essential work of the Diocesan Commissions and the National Coordination Team, proposing that “they be made up only of competent lay people in the most diverse areas of activity, with the possibility of having an ecclesiastical assistant”.
“We also reaffirm our firm intention to do everything possible to ensure that abuses do not happen again. As a visible sign of this commitment, a memorial will be held during the World Youth Day and perpetuated, later, in an outdoor space of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference”, adds the note.
The CEP president considered it important “to have, in an event like WYD, a call to attention” for a “transversal” issue, pointing out the place dedicated to “reconciliation” (Parque da Perdão) as the “appropriate and fair” space.
After WYD Lisbon 2023 (August 1st to 6th), a “more durable” memorial will be prepared, taking over the CI proposal.
“The architect Siza Vieira was suggested to us, we are aware of that and we found a good solution”, said D. José Ornelas, Bishop of Leiria-Fátima.
As for possible meetings with victims, the Catholic official underlined that “the modesty of the victims themselves is fundamental”.
It is with pain that, once again, we apologize to all victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Portugal. This request will be made public next April, here in Fátima, during the next Plenary Assembly.
We appreciate the work of the Independent Commission requested by the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, which had defined objectives and deadlines from the beginning.
The conclusions and suggestions presented are being taken into account and we will do everything necessary, with firmness, clarity and determination, for a culture of care and protection of minors and vulnerable adults.
Final Communiqué of the CEP Extraordinary Plenary Assembly
The bishops announced the revision of the current guidelines of the Episcopal Conference and the training plans of seminaries and other institutions.
D. José Ornelas referred that the new training guidance document will take into account the issues raised by the CI report.
“A review of some points is foreseen”, he assumed.
The assembly communiqué thanks the victims for their testimony, in many cases after “a silence kept for decades”, assuming that the “process of reflection and discernment” will continue, namely in the next meeting of the Permanent Council and in the Plenary Assembly.
“This report is a very important piece to understand the reality, in the Church and in the country”, indicated D. José Ornelas, for whom the document underlines “the dramatic character” of these situations, distancing himself from the criticisms of the same, in some sectors of the Catholic Church.
"We cannot have divisions in this regard," he insisted.
The president of the CEP considered that the work carried out this Friday pointed to “a series of directions” in which it is necessary to work.
“The path we took, within the CEP, in the decision of clarity and transparency in these processes, this will continue”, he reinforced.
Asked about the support of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (Holy See), Bishop José Ornelas highlighted the importance of collaboration with this institution and with other Vatican bodies, such as the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
An eventual meeting with the Pope, he added, “is on the table”, but “not just for this issue”.
Source: https://agencia.ecclesia.pt/portal/igreja-abusos-bispos-anunciam-criacao-de-nova-comissao-para-acompanhar-vitimas/
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