Four days of rank had spoken high of faith representatives in the Vatican about the year long abuse in the Catholic Church. The insights of the cleric are not enough for the Victims. By Maximiliane Koschyk, Rome.
“The global spread of this Evil does not diminish his abomination within the Church” – knowledge is the first step that made Pope Francis, when he came after four days of intense discussions, finally, to the lectern. The head of the Catholic Church took stock of the talks in the Vatican on a global abuse scandal that has shaken not only his community of faith.
Together with the presidents of the Episcopal conferences worldwide, as well as leaders of the religious communities, and around 70 experts had advised Francis.
“There were times, as we have seen, the victims of our enemies,” said the Australian Bishop Mark Coleridge, in his sermon at the closing service. “We will not remain unpunished.”
Pope Francis: “abomination within the Church”
Pope Francis was last year, even in the criticism, as he ignored the abuse allegations against Church people in Chile, first of all, that his visit to the South American country at the beginning of 2018 overshadowed.
Abuse of power of the Church
The scandal revealed a structural abuse of power recognized by Francis in his speech in Rome: “exploitation of the weaker Position of the defenseless abused Person”, calling the Pope the issue of sexual abuse in the Church, and adding, at the same time that it is coming outside of the Church Attacks on children.
The Meeting in the Vatican should first define the structural Dimension of the cover-up of abuse cases and the way of the work-up and prevention.
Sister Openibo: “We were witnesses”
Especially since many of the Church representatives is not the extent of the problem aware of it. “Is it not better to talk about these things, so that there is no distrust of the Church?”, I asked a representative of the Church.
It had helped that they had shown to the participants daily Videos of Victims described their abuse, said the Nigerian sister Veronica Openibo. “We were witnesses to their experiences”, described their impressions of a Video in which a woman from the year reports of abuse by a priest and three forced abortions. The have you and the congregation moved in the hall deeply.
The Vatican wants a database of offenders-
The knowledge should now be followed by deeds: The Church law expert Linda Ghisoni pleaded in front of the cardinals, the laity, to involve, if it were to draw the clergy to the responsibility. The idea that “only a Bishop can know what is good for a Bishop”, was wrong, said the theologian.
The papal chief investigator for sex crimes, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, announced that the Vatican intends to publish a database. All clergy are to be conducted, were punished according to the law of the Church for sexual abuse of Minors. Also, the deposition of bishops should be increased if this abuse cover up, or not transparent cutting.
Cardinal Marx: “files that document the terrible deeds, were destroyed”
The expectations of the Meeting could not be inside and outside of the Vatican, however, different. Spectacular confessions as the Chairman of the German bishops ‘ conference, Reinhard Marx, were as follows: “files that document the terrible deeds and the Responsible would be able to call them, were destroyed or not even created it,” had communicated to the Chairman of the German bishops ‘ conference on Saturday the conference participants.
Criticism harvested the Vatican organizers to ensure that only the Talking, but the discussions were made available to the Public. The fact that three women were among the twelve speakers at the conference, did not want to rate the Pope as a feminist.
One of the Victims demanded a Zero-tolerance policy, which prevents convicted offenders from the clergy, did not want to promise the conference. “Why is that so hard?”, Denise Buchanan from Jamaica, asked. She worked in an international organization that seeks to end the abuse by Church officials: “End Clerical Abuse”, in short, ECA. Associations such as ECA had complained, from the beginning to be not enough involved in the event.
Protests of the victims of the abuse prior to the Vatican: claims of a Zero-tolerance policy
The Meeting in Rome have had the Chance to change the Catholic Church, sustainably, Church representatives and outsiders agree. “We are not at the end,” said cardinal Marx, immediately after the conclusion of the deliberations in Rome.
“As significant as the Reformation”
“The most Important thing is what happens now,” says the Church historian Massimo Faggioli. From his point of view of the abuse scandal is as significant as the Reformation: How then going to be corruption in the clergy, theological interpretations, and geopolitical tensions within the world Church. In the short term, new guidelines will there be, in the medium term, a new understanding of responsibility among the bishops. “But in the long term, there will not be a deep cultural change in the Church,” said Faggioli, “especially where the scandal is still open to the public.”
Further scandals should not give it but said the Pope in his closing speech. Any abuse must be uncovered. Francis white: A new scandal could cast a dark shadow on his pontificate.