Victim quits Pope’s child abuse panel in disgust
Print Edition
MARIE Collins, an Irish survivor of clerical sex abuse, resigned yesterday from Pope Francis’s child protection panel, accusing senior Vatican officials of “shameful” blocking of reforms approved by the pontiff.
Collins’s departure and her depiction of high-level obstruction of change is an embarrassing blow to the pontiff’s attempts to demonstrate that the Church is effectively combating a scourge that has profoundly damaged its image over recent decades.
The 70-year-old, who was raped by a hospital chaplain at 13, explained her decision in an article for the National Catholic Reporter. “As a survivor I have watched events unfold with dismay,” she wrote.
Her resignation happened days after Francis came under fire for reducing sanctions imposed on some pedophile priests in line with his desire for the Church to be more merciful across a range of issues.
Collins’s departure leaves the Pontifical Commission on the Protection of Minors with no abuse survivors working for it.
Briton Peter Saunders was sidelined last year after a row over the panel’s handling of allegations of serial abuse by an Italian priest that were brought to its attention.
He described Collins’s departure as “sad but somewhat inevitable.”
In her resignation letter, Collins said she believed Francis had acted sincerely when he set up the panel in March 2014 with a brief to advise him on concrete steps to ensure the safety of minors within Catholic institutions.
“However, despite the Holy Father approving all the recommendations made to him by the Commission, there have been constant setbacks,” she said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
