In no way do I defend the indefensible (Letters, 21 January). The abuse of children and vulnerable adults is a crime and one which is taking far too long for both civil and church authorities to address with rigour and understanding. The members of the pontifical commission for the protection of minors welcome constructive criticism and evidence to inform its advice to the pope, and are acutely aware of how long it could take to implement adequate protection measures and responses to suspicions of abuse to protect children throughout the world.
The advisory work of the commission is a start, but my colleague Peter Saunders (Letters, 21 January) and many others understandably comment that it is too slow and too late. The pope has instructed church leaders to have zero tolerance of abusers and of those who cover up crimes of abuse. For many years bishops have been advised to cooperate fully with civil authorities on matters of child abuse. That some still fail to do so is a matter of huge concern, which is why the pope in September established a panel of jurors to hear cases against bishops and religious superiors. Emiliano Fittipaldi has criticised this, saying the pope has always had the power to remove a bishop. What seems to be different is that there is now a process for collecting the evidence and putting a considered case to the pope so that he can make an informed decision about an errant bishop. Pope Francis will depend on receiving competent advice and so until the panel of jurors is seen to deal publicly with bishops and religious superiors, it will not be taken seriously.
I am not naive enough to think that this alone will solve the problems that are embedded in the complex hierarchical structure of the global Catholic church. Cultural change is difficult and leaders – mainly men – find it hard both to listen to survivors and to learn from other countries’ errors, perhaps thinking it doesn’t apply to them. How wrong they are.
Baroness Sheila Hollins
Crossbench, House of Lords
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