The Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) organization announced that it will present a formal proposal to the Vatican in September, demanding the definitive expulsion and reduction to lay status of any cleric who has abused minors or vulnerable adults.
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This announcement comes after a private meeting with senior representatives and experts of the Catholic Church, including members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
The series of meetings, which took place from June 6 to 8, included the participation of prominent figures such as Monsignor Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, secretary of the Pontifical Commission; the Jesuit Hans Zollner, director of the Institute of Anthropology of the Pontifical Gregorian University; and Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org. Representatives from various embassies, including those of Australia and the United States to the Holy See, were also present.
The ECA proposal includes the creation of an independent agency with full powers to investigate, as well as issue public recommendations and reports. Additionally, it calls for full transparency in the process and establishes severe sanctions for any bishop or church official who fails to comply with the proposed policy.
Gemma Hickey, chair of the ECA board and a survivor of clergy abuse, expressed her hope and determination in this historic movement.
“(It is the) first time in the history of the clergy abuse catastrophe that an international coalition of survivor organizations and their advocates have joined the Catholic Church’s main institute for safeguarding children to support a mandate Binding and universal policy of zero tolerance for sexual abuse in the Catholic Church,” Hickey said.
The proposal is aligned with the recommendations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child from 2014 and reflects the continued efforts by the international community and human rights organizations to end this devastating crisis.
The final document is expected to be presented before the final phase of Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality in October, marking a possible turning point in the fight against ecclesiastical abuses.
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*This content was rewritten with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from Europa Press, and was reviewed by a journalist and an editor.
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