by Brendan Geary

Pope Francis built on significant initiatives undertaken by his predecessor, Benedict XVI, to confront abuse in the Catholic Church.

Immediately after his election he had to deal with allegations against Cardinal O’Brien and his resignation prior to the papal election in March 2013. It is clear that Pope Francis was on a steep learning curve, as sanctions imposed on Cardinal McCarrick in 2019 were more severe than the restrictions and penalties imposed on Cardinal O’Brien.

Pope Francis established the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) in March 2014 to ‘promote the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults’. Unfortunately, the promises made by Pope Francis did not all materialise once the commission’s work encountered the reality of Vatican bureaucracy. After a bumpy start, the PCPM was able to make significant progress, not least in the areas of promoting audits of safeguarding practice and establishing universal guidelines for the church.

Part of the problem

Pope Francis’ learning curve continued when he criticised allegations made against a bishop and priest (Fernando Karadima) in Chile. After being publicly criticised by Cardinal O’Malley, President of the PCPM, and meeting with three of the men who made allegations, he called the Chilean hierarchy to Rome. He acknowledged to the victims whom he met that he was part of the problem.

Dr Brendan Geary is a Marist brother. He has just completed a PhD on understanding child sexual abuse by Marist Brothers and former Marist Brothers in Australia.

Photo by Sean Robertson, Unsplash