Archbishop Scicluna Clergy Abuse
Title: Top Vatican investigator on sex abuse says church must empower victims
Author: Claire Giangrave
Publisher: Religion News Service
Date: 02JUL2020
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — It’s been more than a year since Pope Francis issued his historic document, “Vos Est Lux Mundi (You are the light of the world),” and ushered in a new wave of transparency and accountability for abuse cases in the Catholic Church.
But according to Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna, much more still needs to be done.
“We need to empower disclosure” of abuse cases by providing victims with avenues for safe communication, said Scicluna, adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, during a webinar for “A Safer Church” on Tuesday (June 30).
Francis’ document published last May enforced the obligation for clergy to report cases of sexual abuse to church authorities, applied norms for bishop accountability and strengthened channels for listening to victim reports.
But to really help victims come forward, Scicluna argued, there must also be a spiritual accompaniment. Many victims live with a “sense of guilt” due to the abuse, he said, and trying to free them of it “is also very important.”
“We talk about communicating with victims, but we really need to listen to them,” he added.
Scicluna knows a thing or two about investigating sexual abuse cases.
After a long career as the Promoter of Justice at the Vatican, where he distinguished himself for improving minor protection and accountability norms, Scicluna was asked to investigate the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, the notorious pedophile Marcial Maciel.
The investigation earned Scicluna a reputation as the Vatican’s hound on sex abuse cases, a job he reprised several times. In 2018, Pope Francis sent him to investigate sexual abuse allegations against Bishop Juan de la Cruz Barros in Chile and this year asked Scicluna to look into the clerical abuse crisis in Mexico.
Referring to his experience investigating cases of sexual abuse, Scicluna underlined the importance of “getting the facts right, but also of letting the victim provide the narrative that is valid and effective in an investigation.”
The main themes when it comes to communicating with victims of sexual abuse are “dignity and respect,” Scicluna said, encouraging members of the Catholic community to truly engage “with these persons who have been hurt by ministers of the church.”
For more information visit: