The Vatican’s child protection commission has criticized high-ranking Catholic leaders in its annual report for not acting swiftly enough to assist victims of clergy sexual abuse and to implement new safeguarding measures globally. Over the years, the Catholic Church, with 1.4 billion members, has faced scandals worldwide involving abuse and cover-ups, which have tarnished its reputation and led to significant financial settlements. The report highlighted church leaders’ failure to provide victims with information on the handling of abuse reports and whether negligent bishops faced sanctions. Additionally, the commission noted that its requests for information on safeguarding protocols were not always answered, and the Italian church did not provide comprehensive details.
The report pointed out that victims often felt the church responded with inadequate settlements, superficial gestures, and a persistent reluctance to engage genuinely with them. Established in 2014 by the late Pope Francis, the Vatican commission has faced internal turmoil with resignations of members but released its first annual report last year. Following his election in May, Pope Leo XIV has met with commission members multiple times and appointed Archbishop Thibault Verny of France as the new president.
Covering the year 2024 and spanning 103 pages, the latest report is the commission’s most extensive document to date and frequently criticizes church leadership without specific individual mentions. It primarily addresses reparations for abuse survivors while evaluating safeguarding efforts in 22 countries and a key Vatican department.
The report scrutinized the Dicastery for Evangelization, responsible for overseeing the church’s operations in many developing nations, noting that it only had one official handling safeguarding matters. It also highlighted uncertainties in the distribution of work on abuse cases among various Vatican departments, leading to potential delays and confusion in investigations.
Among the countries evaluated in the report, Italy, historically a stronghold of Catholicism, received criticism for its bishops’ lack of collaboration with the Vatican commission. While only 81 out of 226 Catholic dioceses in Italy responded to a questionnaire on safeguarding practices, countries like South Korea achieved 100% participation. The commission, the first of its kind in the Catholic Church, was a priority for Pope Francis, who passed away in April, as part of his efforts to address clergy abuse, albeit with mixed outcomes.
One of Francis’s key reforms was establishing a global reporting system for Catholics to report suspicions of abuse or cover-ups by bishops. The report on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction with the Vatican’s lack of transparency regarding the removal of bishops linked to abuse or cover-ups, with reasons rarely disclosed, often stating that the pope accepted the bishop’s resignation without further explanation.
The report emphasized the need for greater accountability for church leaders and stressed the importance of publicly disclosing reasons for resignations or removals related to abuse or negligence. Moreover, it highlighted the insufficient dedicated resources in Central and South America, Africa, and Asia for supporting abuse survivors.