For a better prevention of abuse, the religious orders demand a stronger participation of parents © Karl-Josef Hildenbrand
The superiors of Catholic men's and women's religious orders have released a joint statement on the child protection conference at the Vatican, in which they themselves admit to mistakes. Greater involvement of parents could be a measure to prevent abuse.
The superiors of Catholic women's and men's orders have reaffirmed their commitment to the fight against abuse. In a statement released Tuesday ahead of the global anti-abuse summit, confessed to own failures, including covering up acts. The often family-like character and cohesion of religious congregations has further hindered the process of coming to terms with abuse. Various cultural circumstances around the world also contributed to abuse and the taboo surrounding it.
Not to disregard other forms of violence
For better prevention of abuse, religious orders call for greater involvement of parents, especially mothers. Had these in particular been heard more often in the past, quite a few cases of child abuse could have been uncovered sooner, they write. In addition, he said, the ie needs to be more fully integrated into the school's own educational guidelines as well as curricula. At the same time, the religious superiors praise the commitment of Pope Francis in the fight against sexual and spiritual abuse as well as clericalism.
They also point to other forms of violence to which children, as the weakest in a society, are exposed. "We see child soldiers, child trafficking, sexual abuse, and physical and mental abuse of minors," reads the barely four-page statement. This was especially true for poor or handicapped children as well as those in lower social classes and castes. Here, too, religious are called upon to act as advocates for children and young people.