Perpetrators of Abuse are Clever; Vigilance is Critical, Speakers Say
Sister Agnieszka Jarkowska, a Capuchin Sister of the Sacred Heart and a safeguarding expert from Poland, speaks to Catholic News Service during the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors’ first conference on safeguarding in the church in Europe held at the commission’s headquarters in Rome Nov. 13. (CNS photo/Lorenzo Iorfino, courtesy Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors)
By Carol Glatz, CNS – The Catholic Church needs decisive leadership in creating a safe, caring and welcoming environment for everyone, and it needs constant vigilance against complacency, said several speakers at a Vatican-sponsored safeguarding conference.
Strength and vigilance are needed, some warned, because those who abuse minors and vulnerable people are clever and skilful, and will exploit every lapse and weakness they find in procedures.
Nearly 150 safeguarding experts working in more than 20 countries in Europe took part in person and online in the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors’ first conference on safeguarding in the church in Europe Nov. 13-15.
Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, commission president and retired archbishop of Boston, told participants in a video message that the church must: listen to survivors and children; respond with care and compassion to those who have been harmed; follow due process with investigating accusations; and “show strong leadership in taking the necessary actions to, as best possible, prevent any occurrence of abuse in the future.”
“Until every last victim has an opportunity to tell their story, this will not be over,” said Teresa Devlin, an expert in child protection and former CEO of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland.
“Show your leadership,” she said, appealing to all bishops and leaders of religious congregations to embrace safeguarding, not so they look good in the eyes of others, “but because it is the right thing to do.”
Aidan Gordon, Devlin’s successor as CEO of Ireland’s national safeguarding board, said, “The sin of child abuse is everywhere.”
“We know the way abusers work; they will look at our policies, our procedures, our structures, and they will look for the weakness in where our structure is and they will exploit that structure to carry out whatever crimes it is that they are intent on carrying out,” he said.
Devlin said that countries without a lot of “historical baggage” can focus on making sure everything they do today is safe, and that people are trained, have clear codes of conduct, know what the boundaries are and that there is a mechanism for monitoring compliance.
“But don’t be fooled. There will be people in your church who have an interest, sexual interest in children, and you need to be always alert to that. It is in society and it will be in your church as well,” she said.
In a message to participants on Nov. 13, Pope Francis wrote, “It is my hope that your efforts to establish a network of people and good practices will provide a much-needed forum for sharing knowledge, supporting one another, and for ensuring that programs of protection are both effective and sustainable.”
“I encourage the initiatives made to provide comfort and assistance to those who have suffered, as a sign of the Church’s concern for justice, healing and reconciliation,” he wrote, praying that “your deliberations will contribute to a safer and more compassionate Church.”
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