Vatican seeks reparations, dialogue with sex abuse survivors

The Catholic Church’s Commission for the Protection of Minors suggested reparations to abuse survivors in its second annual report released Thursday. The latest report emphasized the importance of conversation while fostering a culture of safeguarding children, commission members shared at a Thursday news conference about the report. The late Pope Francis launched the commission in 2014 to promote conversational justice based on truth and institutional reforms for Church governance to adopt.

The commission thinks that the best way to build a culture of protection is by working with the survivors, commission leader Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry said. Countless survivors needed courage to sound the alarm on abuse, and Thursday’s report is a testament to their critical role in stopping the abuse, committee member Maud de Boer-Buquicchio said.

De Boer-Buquicchio emphasized the need for the Vatican to adopt a transparent attitude and communicate in a way that truly serves abuse survivors. Let’s talk about more than just disciplinary proceedings, de Boer-Buquicchio said. Let's talk about how these victims were sexually assaulted, how those victims feel, how their reports were dealt with, and where information is getting stuck, she added.

What kind of reparations were discussed? The commission discussed various kinds of reparations for abuse survivors, noting that survivors' wishes vary between different cultures. Financial compensation is one part of reparations, but many abuse survivors from Africa, for example, just want an apology, commission member Benyam Dawit Mezmur said. Some are interested in restitutions, others in rehabilitation. Many more reparation-related conversations need to happen before any reparations are adopted at the local level, he added.

Mezmur said the commission is focused on making sure the report's recommendations are taken seriously. But another report with other recommendations is planned a year from now. 

Dig deeper: Read Mary Jackson’s report on the Catholic church enacted new canon laws in 2021 that criminalize grooming and sexual abuse against adults.