Indian bishops urged to
expedite implemention of child protection policy
 |
| Abuse of minors |
Indian Sister Arina Gonsalves (RJM), a member of the
Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM), addressed
India’s Catholic bishops on Monday during their plenary assembly.
By Robin Gomes
A member of the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for the
Protection of Minors (PCPM) has urged the Catholic bishops of India to make
child protection policy mandatory in all institutions under their jurisdiction.
Indian Sister Arina Gonsalves of the Congregation of the
Religious of Jesus and Mary (RJM), has also called on them to set up a system
to make all priests, diocesan and religious, comply with the policy.
“The importance of human formation for the seminarians and candidates
to religious life in formation houses must be given to prevent pornography in
presbyteries, seminaries and religious houses,” said the nun who is among 16
whom Pope Francis appointed as PCPM members in February 2018.
Sister Gonsalves addressed the Indian bishops on Monday,
during the 34th plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of India (CBCI), in Bengaluru, February 13-19.
Presenting a few case studies, she pointed to emotional and
behavioural problems, abnormal sexual behaviour, psychic disorders, suicidal
tendencies, drug abuse and traumatic stress disorders as some of the long-term
effects on the victims of sexual abuse.
Archdiocese of Bombay
Before her Vatican assignment, Sister Gonsalves was a member
of the expert group for child protection in the Archdiocese of Bombay.
According to her, abuse of minors occurs in schools and even in
orphanages.
The archdiocese set up a committee for the protection of
minors in 2016 with the aim of raising awareness about the Protection of
Children from the Sexual Offenses Act of 2012, and the Sexual Harassment of
Women at Workplace Act of 2013.
Recommendations
At the time of her Vatican appointment, the nun had said her
mission was to prevent violence and protect vulnerable children and adults by
raising awareness about their abuse.
Among the several recommendations to the CBCI plenary, she
advised the bishops to adopt zero tolerance towards sexual abuse; take
necessary disciplinary action against offenders; respond with compassion and
care for victims of sexual abuse; take care and address critical components of
prevention; constitute an appropriate mechanism with necessary infrastructure
and time-bound procedure to redress cases of sexual abuse; and not to shield
any instance of abuse from prosecution by civil authorities.
The CBCI had issued a document, “Procedural norms for
dealing with cases involving sexual abuses of minors,” in 2015.
Two years later, the bishops’ conference issued stringent
standards to deal with clerical abuse of minors and enjoined dioceses and
religious congregations to set up committees to deal with such cases.
Pope Francis
Pope Francis has taken several measures in his stern stand against
clerical sex abuse in the Church. Among these is the setting up of the
Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) in March 2014, to
advise him on effective policies for the protection of minors and vulnerable
adults and also to offer support to local Churches in their protection
policies.
Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Adjunct Secretary of
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was delegated by Pope Francis
to investigate several cases of sex abuse around the world.
Last year in February, he convened the historic meeting in
the Vatican on the "Protection of Minors in the Church", which called
for responsibility, accountability and transparency. The summit
involved all the presidents of bishops’ conferences and those responsible for
religious orders worldwide.
In May 2019, the Holy Father released his Motu proprio,
"Vos estis lux mundi" (You are the light of the world), establishing
new procedures for reporting abuse, harassment and violence, and ensuring that
bishops and religious superiors are held accountable for their actions.
In December, he abolished “pontifical secrecy” for cases of
sexual abuse and made the rule regarding the crime of child pornography even
more strict. (Source: Matters India)
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