The recognition of an institutional responsibility of the Church in the sexual violence committed by priests or religious is a great decision that could serve as an example.
by
Decisions concerning the fight against sexual violence in the Catholic Church taken by the French bishops during their plenary assembly in Lourdes, from 2 to 8 November, are certainly worth for France. But in a church that wants to be universal like the one in his seat in Rome, it is not forbidden to question their scope for Catholicism beyond our borders. Do not they have, in some respects, consequences for Catholics around the world?
The first repercussion is obvious. Among the resolutions adopted, one entrusted to the Council for the Canonical Questions of the Conference of Bishops of France (CEF) to specify which recommendations from the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) must be “submitted at the approval of the Holy See “. The answer must be presented at the plenary assembly of March 2022.
CIAIS advocates amendments to certain selected articles of canon law and certain provisions of the Criminal Procedure of the Church’s domestic law. Only the Holy See is able to decide these changes – if the Pope accepted them. The resolution cites the recommendations of CIASE concerning the profanation of the sacraments, the qualification of the sexual violence, their definition … without waiting for the Plenary Spring Assembly, Jean-Marc saved and the other members of the CIASE will have the opportunity To speak directly to Pope Francis, who will receive them on December 9 in the company of representatives of the episcopate and religious and religious.
Homogeneous operation
Another decision of the bishops could have repercussions outside our borders. It is the recognition of an institutional responsibility of the Church in the sexual violence committed by priests or religious and their systemic dimension, that is to say that their occurrence has been favored by certain characteristics of the functioning of this institution. This recognition immediately admitted by the French bishops, Friday, foreign victims seized themselves to oppose the attitude of their own ecclesiastical hierarchy, with which they are in conflict. This is particularly the case in Chile, where Pope Francis got the resignation of all bishops and where, on Twitter, the representatives of the victims rents the attitude of the French bishops compared to the Chilean episcopate which “is attempting institutionally “.
More fundamentally, when the French bishops admit institutional responsibility and a systemic dimension, do the other episcopal conferences can now dodge the question if associations of victims or angry laity refer them to the French declaration? Catholicism is characterized by a uniform hierarchical organization and substantially homogeneous ecclesial operation. Why would it have an institutional responsibility and a systemic dimension here, and not there, towards sexual abuse? This question is also now asked by the head of this Church, Pope Francis.