Pedocriminality in the Church: decision time for bishops – archyworldys

A collective of victims of sexual violence in the Catholic Church has taken the name “From words to deeds”. This is also the challenge faced by the bishops, gathered in Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrénées) for their plenary assembly devoted in large part to the report of the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (Ciase). Monday, November 8, at the end of a week of work, they will vote on several resolutions whose associations, like many Catholics, expect them to start implementing the forty-five recommendations of the report of the commission chaired by Jean- Marc Sauvé. And that they translate into action the institutional responsibility of the Church in this violence, which they recognized by a large majority, Friday.

This first vote paves the way for the recognition and reparation system that the victims are urgently awaiting. It should be put to a vote, and possibly adopted, on Monday morning. Broadly speaking, it would have two elements. The first is an independent national body which would be responsible for collecting requests from victims, in particular those for whom the facts are prescribed or the aggressor is dead, and to treat them in a personalized way. The bishops have yet to specify whether victims of non-prescribed acts will have access to it.

An endowment fund

Chaired by a former magistrate, already approached but whose identity has not been revealed, and composed by her, this body will allow victims to be recognized as such. If necessary, it can serve as a mediator between these people and the dioceses or other ecclesial institutions, for example to obtain information on the alleged aggressor, the existence or not of other victims … This process will lead to reparation, which may in particular take the form of compensation – although we do not yet know if it will bear this name – when so many victims have had to undertake costly care courses. On the other hand, it is accepted that this amount of money will vary from person to person.

The second element of the repair mechanism is an endowment fund, responsible for financing the independent body. It was already instituted in March by the bishops and some have already paid money into it. But associations of victims and Catholics then protested against the fact that the faithful could also add to the fund, some believing that it was not for them to pay for the attacks committed by clerics. In the episcopate, it is observed that some Catholics insist, despite everything, on being able to contribute and that it would be inappropriate to refuse them. On the other hand, it seems certain that there will be no appeal for donations, as in last March, to feed this fund. The Catholic Church, through its dioceses, will therefore probably have to sell some real estate to supplement it. “It is normal that this costs the Church”, said one of his prelates. It is difficult to know how many victims will seek compensation.

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