Catholic bishops have to report sex abuse. Yep. They do. Just in case any of y’all (or your friends or associates, or any priests or bishops you may happen to know) thought differently the answer is yes, they have to report it. And yes … duh. Pope Francis’ Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, created in 2014 to advise him “in the fight against child sexual abuse,” reaffirmed that recently. They had to reaffirm it, since some psychologist came around a year after the commission’s initial report saying bishops could eschew that responsibility.
The statement comes amid controversy over a Vatican training course for new Catholic bishops around the world held in September 2015, in which French Monsignor Tony Anatrella, a psychologist known for his views on homosexuality and “gender theory,” told bishops they had no obligation to report abuse charges to law enforcement.
Anatrella argued that the decision to report should be up to victims and their families, and that while bishops have the right to inform police and other public authorities, they are not required to do so under Church law.
The Pope’s Commission stated that the bishops have not only a civil responsibility under law but “a moral and ethical responsibility” as well:
“As Pope Francis has so clearly stated, ‘The crimes and sins of the sexual abuse of children must not be kept secret for any longer. I pledge the zealous vigilance of the Church to protect children and the promise of accountability for all’,” the statement said.
“We, the president and the members of the commission, wish to affirm that our obligations under civil law must certainly be followed, but even beyond these civil requirements, we all have a moral and ethical responsibility to report suspected abuse to the civil authorities who are charged with protecting our society.”
Sounds pretty clear and straightforward, doesn’t it?