Disgusting event! The church apologized
The Archbishop of Bilbao, one of the important cities of the Basque Country, Joseba Segura, said that some clergymen “recognize the sexual abuse of children” by some clergymen such as the Basque Catholic Church, sympathize with the victims and apologize in the act that led in the Cathedral of Bilbao.
“WE ARE AWARE THAT THEY ARE PART OF THEM”
The Archbishop of Bilbao said: “We are aware that there are abusers among us, who are part of our history, part of what we have done in the past. They do not represent all the values we have and want to be, but rather the opposite of what we have”. saying.
“WE CAN HELP THEM HELP THEM”
Affirming that they can be witnesses of the truth knowing the entire history of the Catholic Church, the good and the bad, Segura said: “We can help the victims to recover by knowing their pain and psychological damage and listening to them, accompanying them and defending them.” he said.
Monsignor Segura emphasized that apologizing to the victims should not mean trying to cover things up. he performed the assessment of it.
A FIRST IN SPAIN
It was the first time in Spain that an archbishop of the Catholic Church had apologized for sexual abuse.
Allegations of child sexual abuse in institutions affiliated with the Catholic Church have been investigated in Spain over the past year.
The Ombudsman’s Office, in its report presented to Parliament in early March, announced that it heard 445 people as victims of alleged sexual abuse by clergy in the Church.
MORE THAN 220 THOUSAND VICTIMS HAVE BEEN DETECTED
In the statements made so far by the independent commissions established in some European countries on cases of sexual abuse against children in the Catholic Church, it was stated that in the last 70 years 216,000 victims were identified in France and 4,815 victims in Portugal.
POPE’S NEW DECISION
On the other hand, the spiritual leader of Catholics and president of the Vatican, Pope Francis, once again approved the law to prevent and combat sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, expanding its scope.
According to a written statement from the Vatican, Pope Francis, by issuing a Papal Ordinance with the force of law called “Motu Proprio”, updated the church’s norms on incidents of abuse within the Catholic Church and its cover-up, introduced in 2019.
With the update, the law was expanded to include ordinary international religious leaders who have no religious duties in the Catholic Church but who are recognized by the Vatican to cover up incidents of sexual abuse.
VULNERABLE ADULTS INCLUDED
Victims of sexual abuse also included vulnerable adults and minors.
With the new law, those who made complaints of harassment, as well as those who gave their testimonies, were also covered by the protection, while other regulations introduced in 2019 were re-approved.
The new regulation, which is expected to come into force on April 30, will replace the previous regulation introduced in May 2019.
Press organs close to the Vatican wrote that this latest Papal Ordinance reveals the desire of the Catholic Church to continue the fight against crimes of abuse.
Incidents of sexual abuse and attempts to cover them up are among the most criticized issues of the Catholic Church around the world. (AA)