From left, Karlijn Demasure, Executive Director of Center for Child Protection, Father Hans Zollner, President of Center for Child Protection, Cardinal Sean Patrick O鈥橫alley and professor Sheila Baronessa Hollins attend a press conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Monday, Feb. 16, 2015. Pope Francis鈥� point man on clerical sex abuse says the failure of the church to punish bishops who covered up for pedophiles has seriously hurt its credibility and that the church must now lead the way by 鈥渉umbly making the commitment to accountability, transparency and zero tolerance.鈥� AP
ROME, Italy 鈥� Pope Francis鈥� point man on clerical sex abuse said Monday the failure of the Catholic Church to punish bishops who covered up for pedophiles had seriously harmed its credibility and that it must now lead the way by 鈥渉umbly making the commitment to accountability, transparency and zero tolerance.鈥�
Cardinal Sean O鈥橫alley, archbishop of Boston, said canon lawyers and theologians were reviewing proposals to present to the pope on holding bishops and religious superiors accountable. The proposals were developed by Francis鈥� commission of experts, which O鈥橫alley chairs and includes two survivors of abuse.
O鈥橫alley said the sex abuse scandal had 鈥渟eriously diminished鈥� the church鈥檚 credibility in its core spheres of defending human rights, the unborn and immigrants.
鈥淭his has been caused in large part by the perception of a lack of accountability on the part of our leadership, causing many people to lose their trust in us and in the church,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e cannot fail to do all that is possible to restore our credibility.鈥�
Victims of abuse have long denounced the Vatican for failing to sanction any bishop who covered up for an abuser.
O鈥橫alley spoke at a conference at the Jesuit Pontifical Gregorian University, which is leading the church鈥檚 efforts to educate a new generation of priests about preventing abuse and helping survivors through a specialized center for education and research. Francis publicly endorsed the initiative Monday.
Cardinal Sean Patrick O鈥橫alley arrives for a meeting of a Vatican commission on sex abuse, at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015.聽 AP
O鈥橫alley said the aim was also to educate the older generation of church leaders about the importance of accountability 鈥渁nd the consequences of not having accountability.鈥� He said the commission would be hosting seminars for Vatican officials, as well as new bishops passing through Rome for training, to teach them how to handle abuse cases when they arise, how to care for victims and prevent abuse from happening in the first place.
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