And when it comes to faith groups, no creed, structure, value system or size has seemed immune.

Get out of denial mode

"We've got to stop saying that could never happen in my church, or my pastor would never do that," said David Pooler. He's a professor of social work at Baylor University who researches clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse of adults.

With more victims coming forward and more research done on abuse within religious contexts, the evidence has shown that when sexual abuse happens in a place designated not only safe, but holy, it's a unique form of betrayal.

Furthermore, when the perpetrator is a clergy member or spiritual leader, the abuse can be seen as God-endorsed.

Get into the best safeguarding mode

As the scope of the abuse crisis has been revealed, houses of worship and religious institutions focus is on protecting people from abuse.

From Southern Baptists to Orthodox Jews to American atheists — the have looked to shore up their safeguarding protocols and protect their constituents against abuse.

But rather than scrambling to respond in the wake of a crisis, faith groups need to adopt policies tailored to their setting and connected to their mission, says Kathleen McChesney.

She was the first executive director of the Office of Child Protection for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"When you do that, people will have a greater understanding of what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how you're doing it," she said.

McChesney is one of a growing group of abuse experts and survivor advocates consulting with religious institutions.

How to help

As Sexual Assault Awareness Month comes to a close, there are a few steps these experts say every faith group can take to improve safeguarding protocols.

Accept it can happen anywhere

One of the most dangerous — and common — assumptions religious groups make is to think of sexual abuse as a "them" problem.

As the founder of international nonprofit Freely in Hope, Nikole Lim has worked for years to combat sexual violence in Kenya and Zambia, and more recently has been helping U.S.-based groups prevent sexual abuse locally.

For Lim, the reality that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men worldwide are survivors of sexual abuse is evidence this is a problem that permeates every level of society.

"That's a global statistic that doesn't only exist in poor communities," said Lim. "That also exists within your family, within your congregations."

Experts agree that faith groups often embrace the myth that good intentions, theology and ethics can stop sexual abuse from landing on their doorstep.

Amy Langenberg, a professor of religious studies at Eckerd College, along with her research partner Ann Gleig, a religious and cultural studies scholar at the University of Central Florida, say this doesn't work.

They have shown that Buddhist ethics about doing no harm and showing compassion are insufficient to prevent abuse in Buddhist contexts.

"You really do need these other ways of thinking about ethics, which are coming from outside of Buddhism, and which are coming usually from feminism, from advocacy, from the law," said Langenberg.

Because faith communities often think of themselves as the "good guys," they're vulnerable to blind spots.

That's why conducting a risk assessment, much like you'd do for fire insurance, can help pinpoint what protocols are most needed, according to McChesney.

She now leads a firm that consults on employee misconduct investigations and policy development.

Once concrete anti-abuse measures are in place, ongoing education can remind people at all levels of the organization to remain vigilant.

Define abuse

Faith groups often struggle to respond effectively to sexual misconduct because they lack consensus on what "counts" as abusive.

Gleig, who is teaming up with Langenberg on a book-length study called "Abuse, Sex, and the Sangha," told Religion News Service that in Buddhist contexts, the category of abuse is often contested.

In some cases, Gleig said, "abuse can be framed as a Buddhist teaching — for example, that this wasn't abuse, it was actually some kind of skillful form of pedagogy."

In churches, Lim has found that loose definitions of abuse can lead to a form of "spiritual bypassing," where abuse is framed as a mistake to be prayed about, rather than an act of harm that requires tangible accountability.

Conversations about sexual abuse in religious settings are often framed around clergy abuse of children.

But faith groups must also account for peer-on-peer violence among children and teens, as well as abuse of adults.

Key to preventing such abuse, Pooler said, is having a robust definition of sexual abuse that goes beyond mere legal metrics and includes things such as sexual conversations, nonconsensual touch and sexual jokes and language.

Recognise power dynamics

The unequal power dynamics inherent to religious settings are an enormous barrier to equitably addressing sexual abuse.

But the law is beginning to account for this imbalance.

In at least 13 states and the District of Columbia, it's illegal for clergy to engage in sexual behavior with someone in their spiritual care.

Many experts believe this standard, which is widely embraced when it comes to doctors and therapists, should be universal in religious settings, too.

According to Pooler, religious groups should work to share power among multiple leaders and ensure that the broader community has decision-making authority.

And when sexual abuse allegations involve a religious leader, "the person should be placed on some type of leave where they are no longer influencing or speaking," said Pooler.

He explains this is "because what I have seen is abusive people will try and grab ahold of the microphone and shape a narrative immediately."

Center survivors

When a survivor shares abuse allegations, faith groups often fear what will happen if they take the report seriously.

For example, Navila Rashid, director of training and survivor advocacy for Heart, a group that equips Muslims to nurture sexual health and confront sexual violence, said Muslim communities can be hesitant to address sexual violence.

He says that's because they don't want to add to existing Islamophobic narratives about the violence of Islam.

But Rashid told RNS it's vital to believe survivors. "If we can't start off from that premise, then doing and creating preventative tools and methods is not going to actually work," she said.

Pooler advises groups to make sure survivors "sit at the steering wheel" of how the response is handled.

If and when personal details about the survivor are shared, for example, should be entirely up to them.

Caring for abuse survivors requires taking their needs seriously at every juncture, even before abuse is reported, according to Pooler and other experts. That's why background checks are vital.

"You don't want to put somebody that has abused a minor ever in a role of supervising minors," McChesney told RNS.

Get outside help

Faith communities are known for being close-knit, which makes avoiding conflicts of interest difficult, if not impossible, when it comes to holding offenders accountable.

That's why many experts recommend hiring outside groups to hold trainings, develop protocols and steer abuse investigations.

"They don't have any investment in the church looking good or their leaders looking good," Pooler said.

He was referring to hiring groups such as GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) or other third-party organisations that investigate abuse allegations.

These organisations, he said, are committed to laying out the facts so faith groups can make informed decisions.

Groups that are trauma-informed can also ensure that gathering testimony from survivors doesn't cause additional harm

Rashid recommended that faith communities create a budget line for hiring outside groups who focus on addressing sexual abuse.

Rather than offering quick fixes, she said, such groups are designed to help faith communities unlearn biases, recognise power dynamics and adopt long-term solutions at individual, communal and institutional levels that prioritise the safety of all community members.

"What we want to see with policies is pushing for a culture shift," she said, "not a Band-Aid fix."

• First published by Religion News service
• Kathryn Post is an author at Religion News Service.

But the 56-year-old Jesuit priest, who is director of the Institute of Anthropology at the Rome-based Gregorian University, believes the CEF should also publish the names of those bishops in order to avoid creating a general suspicion of the entire hierarchy.

He explained further in this exclusive interview with La Croix's Loup Besmond de Senneville.

What's your reaction to the revelations made by the French bishops' this week?

Hans Zollner: First of all, I'm really shocked and surprised.

This brings to light a vast failure of the institution over the course of decades. That's very clear. But paradoxically, I also see a big step forward in this move by the French bishops, even if it comes quite late.

However, there's an essential dimension that's missing: the French Bishops' Conference should publish the names, if this is legally possible.

Without this, there is a risk of creating a generalized suspicion of all bishops.

We must always admit and tell the truth, with the necessary clarity.

Should we move towards transparency of canonical sanctions?

This is a debate that has been going on for years.

It seems clear to me that decisions should be published according to the rules of transparency invoked at the summit on sexual abuse that Pope Francis convened at the Vatican in 2019.

As we can see, we're fooling ourselves if we think we can hide things in the digital age; sooner or later, things come and there's a scandal.

This is a rule of communication that we have not yet learned.

Should changes be made?

Yes, they must be made.

We in the Church have not yet understood how communication works in today's world.

We have to keep in mind that things always come out sooner or later.

Therefore, we must be transparent and sincere while respecting civil law.

As far as the transparency of canonical sanctions is concerned, it is also necessary that the victims have access to them.

This is not the case today.

Should the processes for appointing bishops be reviewed?

We have to differentiate between the issues.

On the one hand, we can never force someone to tell the truth if they do not want to reveal it.

This means that if a candidate has committed prejudicial acts and no one says so, and he does not reveal them himself, no bishop appointment process can take this into account.

On the other hand, changes could be considered for the groups of those questioning the candidate, for example, by turning to people outside ecclesial circles who have known or collaborated with the candidate for the episcopate, even in other contexts.

• Loup Besmond de Senneville has been a journalist with La Croix since 2011 and a permanent correspondent at the Vatican since 2020.
• First published in La-Croix International. Republished with permission.

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the risk elements in the Church's sexual abuse response, says Fr Hans Zollner SJ.

Zollner is the leading Rome based specialist in addressing the scourge of sex abuse in Catholic institutions.

With less money in circulation, he is urging civil and church societies not to blur their focus nor cut expenditure on safeguarding.

"I do hope that we in the church will go another way and really keep on investing in safeguarding because this is for the safety of those who need most protection", he told Michael Kelly SJ on Flashes of Insight.

"I think it is quite evident to many who are working in this field of safeguarding of minors and vulnerable adults that safeguarding has been relegated down the line because now the almost single focus is on health and the economy", he said.

Zollner said that we all know that abuse is happening in all quarters of society.

Zollner said that unfortunately during the lockdown, society is seeing an increase in those reporting violent behaviours at home and that we can only presume that these behaviours are not only physical violence but sexual and physical violence too.

The very moment when these vulnerable people need more help the social systems can't intervene and those who have been hurt have no place to go, he said.

Zollner told Michael Kelly that while the response varies from country to country, the most important thing the Church has learned is that in order to bring about justice it is important to listen to victims and that listening to victims helps change their attitude to life and helps people to heal.

"We cannot work in the area of safeguarding if you don't really take seriously the concerns of victims", Zollner said.

However, he says that these days every year the Catholic Church trains hundreds of thousands of people around the globe in safeguarding and that it is something that even in an economic downturn we really need to commit to seriously and persistently.

As Professor of Psychology at the Gregorian University in Rome Zollner is also a member of key Vatican committees and consults to national churches throughout the world.

Zollner has an unmatched body of experience and competence to say how the Church is handling the whole catastrophe of sexual abuse.

The Hans Zollner interview is the first in a new video series, "Flashes of Insight", which features key personalities on issues that matter to Catholics.

Flashes of Insight is a collaboration between La Croix International and CathNews NZ.

The lawyers, Richard Scorer of Slater and Gordon, and David Enright of Howe and Co, made the call in a letter to The Tablet.

In the letter, they say 'the Catholic Church' is failing its safeguarding responsibility and the way it treats survivors of sexual abuse.

They are particularly damning about Nichols' dual roles as leader of the Westminister archdiocese and president of the Bishops' Conference.

In their letter, Scorer and Enright state witnesses have described safeguarding in the Westminster diocese as dysfunctional and unsafe.

They also accuse the archdiocese of having a disdain for survivors.

Scorer and Enright say the responsibility for all this lies with the Nichols' leadership; the buck stops with him.

"The charge sheet against Cardinal Nichols is a long one."

"Having failed in his leadership roles in both Birmingham and Westminster, he cannot credibly lead the Catholic Church on these issues in the future."

"The systemic problems in the Catholic Church in relation to safeguarding are not capable of resolution by a single individual. But the Church needs leaders who command respect on these issues; Cardinal Nichols does not."

"It is clear to us, and those we represent, that the time has come for him to step down."

Scorer and Enright claims come following Nichols' lengthy evidence at last week's Independent Inquiry into child sexual abuse.

Evidence given at the hearing revealed

• the safeguarding office is under-resources
• the safeguarding office is dysfunctional with at one time the safeguarding officer and safeguarding advisor not talking to one another
• that the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission link person considered safeguarding in the Westminister archdiocese being in a "dangerous situation"
• that Westminister archdiocese was not a safe diocese
• the Commission's link person tried to meet Nichols but was blocked.

In the course of the hearing, Nichols revealed that now, some 12 years later, the implementation of the "Cumberlege Report"; an independent safeguarding review, is now only being organised.

Also revealed is that a code of conduct for clergy has taken 12 years to develop and is still not completed.

Baroness Nuala O'Loan, chair of the Catholic Council for Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse responded saying that it was wholly inappropriate to comment publicly while the hearing continued."

"In due course the Chair and Panel will prepare a careful and balanced report and it is wholly inappropriate to pre-empt that in any way which would undermine the work of the Inquiry."

"It is its job to weigh up and consider the matters before it, taking into account the views of the Church before doing so. CCIICSA is concerned that this letter seeks to prevent and undermine that process," said the baroness.

Nichols came away from the hearing admitting he had failed that the archdiocese had not done enough and said there was still much to be done.

He, however, said the culture of safeguarding is "radically different" from 12 years ago, but accepted there is much much more to achieve.

Earlier in the year Nichols also gave evidence to the inquiry in relation to his period as archbishop of Birmingham.

In its report on the archdiocese of Birmingham, published in June, the inquiry concluded that Nichols had defended the reputation of the church rather than protecting children amid allegations of sexual abuse.

The cardinal "focused too much on the reputation of the church during his tenure, rather than the welfare of children and the impacts of child sexual abuse on victims and survivors", the report says.

"Children could have been saved from abuse if the church had not been so determined to protect its own reputation above all else."

Sources

• The Tablet
• Church Times
• CathNews

The accusation, 20 June, came in a government inquiry report.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) concluded that children could have been saved had the Catholic Church not "repeatedly failed" to alert the police to allegations.

The report covers the time when Nichols was Archbishop of Birmingham.

It identifies that since the 1930s more than 130 allegations of child sex abuse were made against 78 people in the Archdiocese.

At least 13 have been convicted and three others cautioned.

The report says the true level of offending is probably much higher and "in some cases, the lack of action by the church meant that the abuser was free to continue to commit acts of child sexual abuse".

It also says that Nichols failed to prioritise the welfare of children over the reputation of the church.

The Chair of the inquiry, Professor Alexis Jay, says he is "truly shocked".

"Victims and survivors' allegations were mostly ignored for years, while perpetrators avoided prosecution.

"It is clear that the church could have stopped children being abused if it had not been so determined to protect its own reputation. We hope this report will help ensure that never happens again."

In particular the report identified a row between the Archdiocese and the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (COPCA), leading to mistrust and a poor working relationship between the two parties.

It referenced a prolonged argument regarding the identity of an anonymous priest and said Nichols should have intervened to resolve the matter.

Pointing out inadequate record keeping, survivors continue to accuse the Archdiocese as "still falling short in its child safeguarding arrangements."

"They have to get their act together. Children are inherently unsafe in that place. That's the thing that strikes terror into my heart.

"This is 2019 - I was abused 50 years ago and children are still in danger today. That can't be allowed", Peter Sanders a survivor said.

The Archdiocese of Birmingham released a statement saying: "We accept that we have failed victims and survivors of abuse and again apologise for the grievous failings we have made in the past. Apologies are just words though, if not backed up by action".

It says it will review the reports findings and noted the Archdiocese has already made changes to its practices and processes "to ensure an open and compassionate approach to victims and survivors".

Cardinal Nichols thanked IICSA for their review of the past and said that in his witness statements he addresses all the points contained in the report.

Nichols was Archbishop of Birmingham between 2000 and 2009.

Sources

• The Telegraph
• Image: BBC

The website provides a platform for information on reporting abuse, safeguarding information and any related policies or documents.

NOPS Director, Virginia Noonan, says "the website provides another channel for reporting abuse and providing information on safeguarding in the Church, including policies and protocols guiding this work. The site will also allow us to better communicate this work with a wider audience, providing clear, cohesive and accessible information for visitors".

Included on the website are easily downloadable guidelines, policies and standards for use in parishes throughout New Zealand. Te Houhanga Rongo - A Path to Healing, the Church's protocol for responding to complaints of sexual abuse against clergy or religious, is also available for downloading.

The National Office for Professional Standards sets the strategic direction and ensures compliance of the Catholic Church's safeguarding policy and procedures for children and vulnerable adults. It is developing a range of support materials and resources to assist Church entities to develop and maintain safe environments.

NOPS is also responsible for responding to complaints of abuse in the Church and overseeing the investigation of complaints of sexual abuse against clergy and members of religious orders.

Source:

Supplied: catholic.org.nz Amanda Gregan New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference. Te Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa

Cardinal John Dew, Archbishop of Wellington and vice-president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC), will attend the meeting which will take place 21 - 24 February 2019.

Because of recent eye surgery, Bishop Patrick Dunn is unable to attend. The Cardinal will take his place.

According to a statement by a papal spokesperson, the purpose of the February summit is to ensure all bishops clearly understand what they need to do to prevent and combat the worldwide problem of the sexual abuse of minors.

The Vatican has also acknowledged that Bishops' conferences in many countries "have undertaken important initiatives and tried to understand what really happened, how to help the victims and how to establish a culture of prevention".

Pope Francis has said, "a global problem can only be resolved with a global response". He has encouraged Bishops in their own dioceses to meet with and listen to survivors of abuse.

The summit will also include working groups, "moments of common prayer with listening to testimonies," a penitential liturgy and concluding Mass.

In their Press release, the New Zealand Bishops' Conference encouraged anyone who has been abused by a priest or religious to contact the National Office for Professional Standards for their story to be heard and their complaint to be investigated.

Alternatively, people may choose to go directly to the Police, and the Church will support anyone who requires assistance to do this.

If you would like to make a complaint or would like more information about the Church's safeguarding or complaint processes, please contact 0800 114 622 or email prof.standards@nzcbc.org.nz

Source

• Supplied: Amanda Gregan Communications Advisor - NZ Catholic Bishops Te Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa
• Image: Paul Harding CNS

He is the president of the Centre for Child Protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, a member on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and a consultor to the Congregation for the Clergy.

What follows is an interview with Hans Zollner.

What is your reaction to what we've seen in the United States and elsewhere over the last month?

The strongest impression I have is that it has now reached another level.

The discussion and the awareness and the intensity, especially in the United States, is very surprising because you have gone through this for many years already.

And it brings out the American [social and political] divisions that are visible in the country and in the church.

But why is it so shocking for so many, left and right of the divide?

It is because the extent of the cover-up by church leaders in the past and their co-responsibility for it (no matter what their ideological persuasion) are becoming clearer now.

And then the question is how people deal today with all these issues.

The McCarrick issue I also see somehow linked to the #MeToo movement insofar as #MeToo gave people permission to really confront the untouchables, to get at those persons you never dared to talk about or accuse.

Those who were once attributed with "divine personalities" are now within reach—close enough to be questioned and criticized.

And when it comes to the church, the main focus is no longer on abusive priests but on bishops who covered up. That is something very new, very recent.

It has been there, yes, but the intensity now shows there is another level of sensitivity and another level of need for transparency and authenticity.

It is interesting to hear you talk about how the untouchables have become altogether approachable now. The attacks on the pope would seem like the ultimate expression of that.

Yes, the pope is no longer untouchable.

And I think that is a result, first, of Pope Benedict's resignation, which has shown as clear as daylight that a pope is a human being.

He has demystified the papacy by stepping down; then Pope Francis' being so real, so accessible, is certainly also one of the factors that allow people to feel entitled to attack the popes, very personally (and without, I would say, the necessary respect).

And I believe this is precisely in the line of Francis' understanding of the papacy, of the episcopacy and of ordination—sacrosanct priests are now a thing of the past.

Just as you can criticize politicians and other officials if they don't do what they're supposed to do, you can openly speak about the hierarchy's failings.

What do you think are the next concrete steps the church in the United States has to take?

I would say the bishops need to commit to a code of conduct, and procedures need to be put in place in case there are more allegations of cover-up.

It could be a model for the whole church, if they committed themselves to a process.

For example, there is a bishop that is accused.

Okay, we will call together a jury, or whatever you might call it, of people, a mixed commission, and they will sort out things; they will test the allegation and if there is a confirmed allegation, okay, we report to Rome.

A consequence of such a proposal could also be that they determine procedures in Rome.

Pope Francis, with his motu proprio "Like a Living Mother," has made a start, but we don't know whether that was followed through and what kind of process is in place in case an allegation comes up.

What do you mean by "a mixed commission"?

Laypeople, priests, bishops—all experts who are capable of taking evidence.

One of the problems that we have is that in canon law we don't have a detailed and clearly defined list of punishments for clearly defined crimes, so we will need that.

We will need to know what will be the concrete measure of punishment for a bishop who has covered up abuses.

Also, let's say you're at a Catholic school and it is "Brother Brown" who abuses.

To whom do you write? It is not the Congregation for Clergy. It is not the Congregation for Doctrine.

It's the Congregation for Religious because we're talking about a brother, not a priest.

But again, until now the punishments for a non-cleric who has abused a minor are not specified. T

here is no church-specified punishment for any layperson either. That is also something that I would say we need to revise. Continue reading

• Image: America

Jesuit Fr James Corkery, a theology professor at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, said the Church also must be an open, welcoming home for those who have been wounded and pushed away.

Fr Corkery was speaking after the annual Anglophone Conference on the Safeguarding of Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults, held in Rome from June 21-24.

There is a danger that too much emphasis on "action" and "fixing" things can create a "muscular Christianity" which crowds out any space for a more motherly embrace of the Church's lost and wounded sheep, he said.

This year's Anglophone conference was dedicated to building a spiritual and theological approach to child protection.

Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, a psychologist and member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, said a theological approach is crucial, even though some might think "that's wasted time, we should act".

However, such a reflection can help with prevention, discipline and healing, speakers said.

Fr Corkery said he looked at Church teaching on salvation because the fact that "we are saved by Christ from our sins" does not resonate well with survivors because "they have been sinned against".

"Sin is not a category that is good for them to begin with. In fact, it could make them feel worse because they think the perpetrator has been forgiven," he said.

People who are abused by someone in the Church may no longer feel "saved, but distinctly unsaved", the priest said.

"They also lose their sense of the Church as a face of consolation, security, warmth."

Fr Corkery said survivors could find greater healing from a complementary view of salvation that emphasises not just the sin people are saved "from", but that Jesus also saved people "for" something greater: "a flourishing life, health, restoration, wholeness."

Sources

• Catholic News Service
• Image: The Occult

At his installation Mass last week, Archbishop Anthony Fisher vowed to improve the Church's record on safeguarding children.

He said the Church would emerge from a period of intense public scrutiny about clerical child abuse "humbler, more compassionate and spiritually regenerated".

Archbishop Fisher apologised for sexual abuse committed by clergy, spoke of survivors'
"harrowing experiences" and the "shameful deeds of some clergy".

He also mentioned "serious failures of some leaders to respond".

The Catholic Church in Australia has been grilled at a Royal Commission on abuse, as well as at various state level inquiries.

Continue reading

Ian Elliott has accused the bishops of "minimal responses and empty gestures" when dealing with clerical abuse.

Mr Elliott headed the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland for six years.

During his work with the Church, Mr Elliott said he met with "misinformation and misrepresentation" from the Irish hierarchy and other Church bodies.

He called for safeguarding practice to be independently examined and for the uncensored findings to be made available to the lay faithful.

A spokesman for the Irish bishops told The Tablet that bishops "have been consistent in promoting a culture of child safeguarding in their respective dioceses and in resourcing best practice".

Continue reading

Dr Andrew McLellan announced the remit and membership of a new commission to investigate how the Catholic Church handles abuse.

The former Moderator of the Church of Scotland believes his own faith can offer some spiritual and practical solutions on the issue.

The former chief inspector of prisons said: "I am not here representing the Church of Scotland, but my own church has learned a lot about helping parishes to 'own' and to love safeguarding."

"That is part of the culture change, which the Catholic Church needs to learn as well."

Dr McLellan said his church has "done a fairly significant theological piece of work about balancing the responsibility of a Christian organisation to forgive against the responsibility of a Christian organisation to protect".

"We have tried to think that through. It has helped us to form policies in our church."

"And that kind of thinking is very important for the Catholic Church to do as well."

The former moderator stressed he did not expect the Catholic Church to simply copy the Church of Scotland.

Dr McLellan said: "I am hoping that they will themselves choose to change the culture and theology of their church."

The McLellan Commission is not investigating individual cases of historic or current abuse.

But it wants to hear from those who have been affected by such issues, as it tries to make protection mechanisms more robust.

The commission is one of several safeguarding-related initiatives announced by Scotland's bishops.

Commission members include a senior police officer, a journalist and an MP.

Its report is due next year.

Sources:

• The Herald
• BBC
• Scottish Catholic Media Office
• Image: Democratic Underground

The annual Anglophone Conference on the Safeguarding of Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults had just ended in Rome.

Father Hans Zollner, the German Jesuit who heads the Pontifical Gregorian University Centre for Child Protection, met Pope Francis after attending Mass with him. The Pope also greeted representatives from various national committees for the protection of children and young people.

The conference began in 1996 as a venue where representatives of bishops' conferences in English-speaking countries could share experiences and best practices.

In recent years it has become more global, with growing numbers of representatives from Latin America, Asia and Africa.

One of the United States representatives, Bishop R. Daniel Conlon of Joliet, Illinois, said delegates from countries that have been dealing with a large number of abuse cases for a long time "and have rather highly developed approaches to this issue are now working with countries that have a very different experience".

Deacon Bernard Nojadera, head of the US bishops' Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection, said one of the topics discussed during the meeting was the problem of pornography and how mobile devices will only increase the ease and amount of access people will have to this material, the deacon said.

Church-run institutes and organisations will need to be "proactive" in setting up policies and installing software to counter access to pornographic content, which is known to be addictive, he said. In addition to deterrence, he said education and imposing "consequences if someone is caught" are important.

Bishop Conlon also said psychologists were invited to discuss how to assess the degree of risk a known sex offender poses to the rest of the community and how to create a safety plan for offenders that limits their ability to abuse again, but takes into account their spiritual, mental and psychological conditions "so you have a better sense of the person you're dealing with".

Sources:

Catholic News Service

Vatican Radio

Image: Vatican Radio (Facebook)