Vatican commission warns abuse victims still face ‘disturbing’ retaliation

VATICAN CITY: Victims of clerical sex abuse continue to face “disturbing” retaliation from Catholic Church leaders for speaking out, despite years of reform efforts, a Vatican body said on Thursday (Oct 16).

In its second annual report, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors said many survivors described cultural resistance and intimidation by Church leaders when they reported abuse.

The 103-page report, shared with Pope Leo XIV, included testimony from 40 victims, recounting “disturbing accounts of retaliation.”

One survivor said a bishop warned that their complaint could “affect” a sibling’s ordination, while another said a priest publicly declared their family excommunicated after they reported the abuse.

Others cited ongoing abuse and misconduct, including forced abortions among nuns and priests engaged in sexual relationships with minors.

“The Church bears a moral and spiritual obligation to heal the deep wounds inflicted from sexual violence perpetrated, enabled, mishandled, or covered up,” the report stated.

CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND REPARATION

The commission urged local churches to provide psychological and financial support and to take public responsibility for failures to act.

“It is a true cry that the victims raise: they do not feel listened to, not supported, sometimes there is no empathetic relationship, nor even respect,” said Bishop Luis Manuel Ali Herrera, the commission’s secretary.

Commission president Thibault Verny said the report should serve as a “tool” for global reform, amid “persistent systemic shortcomings.”

In Italy, the report noted “substantial cultural resistance” and a lack of cooperation from bishops, with only 81 of 226 dioceses responding to the commission’s survey.

CRITICISM FROM ADVOCATES

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the campaign group BishopAccountability.org, said the findings showed the Church was “still failing to prioritise” the safety of children.

“The commission is to be commended for depicting how little progress the Church has made in ending abuse and cover-up,” she said.

POPE LEO CONTINUES REFORMS

The late Pope Francis, who led the Church from 2013 until his death in April, had integrated the commission into the Vatican’s governing structure in 2022 and mandated annual progress reports.

While Francis took steps to punish abusive clergy and make internal reporting compulsory, priests are still not required to report abuse to civil authorities, except where required by national law.

Verny said Pope Leo XIV has “taken up this issue very early on,” though he has also drawn criticism from victims’ groups for remarks defending priests who face false allegations.

“There may be false allegations,” Verny said, “but they are a very, very small proportion.”