The bishops, gathered in Lourdes for their Autumn plenary assembly, said, Friday, November 5, that this responsibility “leads to a duty of justice”.
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The Catholic Church has crossed a crucial step. Gathered in Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrenees) for their Autumn Plenary Assembly, the bishops recognized, Friday, November 5, in the morning, “the institutional responsibility of the Church” in the sexual violence committed on vulnerable minors and adults and the “Systemic dimension of these violence”. They also recognized the fact that this responsibility “leads to a duty of justice and reparation”, which may include a legal and financial dimension.
It is Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, the President of the Conference of Bishops of France (CEF), who announced this recognition at a press point at midday. In concrete terms, it took the form of an “consent” among the some one hundred and twenty bishops gathered in Lourdes, which supposes that at least two-thirds of them voted for this recognition – the debates are In camera and the details of the votes is not made public.
The declaration presented by M Gr of Moulins-Beaufort takes over the formulations recommended by the report published by the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church (CIASE), on October 5th. “These violence have a systemic dimension in the sense that they are not only the fact of isolated individuals, but have been made possible by a global context, sets out the text of the bishops. Functions, mentalities, practices within the Catholic Church have allowed these acts to continue and have prevented themselves from being denounced and sanctioned. “Are the protections of which some attackers have benefited from their hierarchy.
Reform of the Institution
The statement made public Friday uses a fairly complicated formulation by which the bishops want to suggest that they had already taken a course in the recognition of this responsibility in the spring. “After having recognized at their last assembly, in March 2021, their liability as an avisques, the bishops of France were able to check this morning that they agreed to recognize the institutional responsibility of the Church”, proclaims text.
However, it’s a new step for the Catholic Church. Until now, the bishops had refused to recognize this full responsibility, among other things, for fear of having to assume heavy financial consequences towards the victims who will go to them to obtain a reparation.
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