Victims of sexual abuse demand of Pope Francis "zero tolerance" with pedophiles

Victims of badual abuse of the clergy demand from the Catholic Church very specific measures for the protection of minors.

Before the summit convened by Pope Francis with presidents of episcopal conferences around the world, to be held in the Vatican from February 21 to 24, the victims presented petitions.

"The time of the words is over, it is time to act with force"The Spanish Miguel Hurtado, one of the 11 victims who met on the eve of the researcher of the pope and archbishop of Malta, Charles Scicluna, said that Mr Hurtado had confessed to being disappointed with the meeting and had request "global action plan, credible, with timetable", with "specific measures" with "a sanctions regime for bishops who do not comply".

On the first day of the summit, the 190 representatives of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church present, including 114 presidents or vice-presidents of episcopal conferences, were able to see five videos with testimonies of victims raped by priests during his childhood and from which his denunciations were ignored.

"The first thing they did was to treat me as a liar, to turn my back and say that I and other people are enemies of the Church," explained a victim from Latin America, according to the transcript provided by the Vatican.

Zero tolerance
"Zero tolerance for badual abuse perpetrated by priests should be considered universal law of the Church before the conclusion of the summit." This principle should apply globally, according to the organization ECA (End the Abuses of the Cluses, by its acronym in English), which represents the victims of 17 countries.

Remove all bishops or cardinals involved in concealing badual abuse committed by the clergy, is a request from the American SNAP (Network of Survivors of Abuse by Priests).

The rule should apply to hierarchical superiors of religious orders and to anyone with responsibilities in a church, to apply for ECA.

Define the badual abuse of a minor
Marie Collins, an Irish victim who was part of the Vatican's anti-pedophile commission, needs a "clear definition" of the badual exploitation of a minor. He resigned from the commission in protest in 2017. He believes that the canon law is vague because it is about "crimes against the sixth commandment".

Transparency
Priests condemned for badual abuse of minors must appear "public folder", asks the ECA.The organization also calls for the creation of an" independent commission for truth "and consultation of the archives of the Holy See.

"Bishops around the world must report cases to civil courts so that independent investigations are opened on this subject, "suggests SNAP.

Any conviction of a member of the Church must be public, clearly specify the nature of the crime and the punishment received, suggests Marie Collins.

Single question
Researchers from several German universities have asked for a study on the relationship between child abuse and celibacy of priests.

The President of the German Episcopal Conference, Reinhard Marx, has been invited to propose a "transparent and taboo-free" discussion on celibacy.

The Royal Australian Commission set up to provide an institutional response to the crime of pedophilia, asked the Vatican in December 2017 to introduce celibacy for priests as a voluntary and not compulsory option as it is currently.

(With information from AFP and EFE)