The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors sat for 3 years before its term expired two months ago.

In freshening the commission Pope Francis added nine new people to its ranks, and re-appointed only eight of the previous members to the commission.

Pope Francis did not reappoint 6 existing members including New Zealand Church official Bill Kilgallon.

Kilgallon recently retired as director of the New Zealand National Office of Professional Standards (NOPS) for the Catholic Church.

His retirement was signaled a year ago to the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC).

Spokesperson for NZCBC, Amanda Gregan, had no comment on Kilgallon's non-appointment but points out that he has retired.

NOPS sets guidelines for the Catholic Church's policy for children, young people and adults at risk.

Kilgallon worked as its director for 5 years before his retirement.

Pope Francis' commission renewal comes amid criticism of his handling of accusations against a Chilean bishop.

The bishop stands accused of covering up abuse while he was a priest in the 1980s and 90s.

The Pope's revamped commission will meet with victims of sexual abuse in April.

Criticism of Commission

The abuse commission has faced increasing public scrutiny since it began in 2014.

A former commissioner complained of overwork and understaffing.

Another, Marie Collins, was an Irish abuse survivor who resigned from the commission in frustration last March.

She says some of those not reappointed were among the group's most active members.

Collins says she resigned in frustration at Vatican officials' refusal to cooperate with the commission's work.

She cited one Vatican office's refusal to send a response to all abuse victims who wrote to the office.

The Pope had approved sending the response after the commission asked him to.

Sources:

• • National Catholic Reporter
  • Washington Post
  • Image: Reuters

Marie Collins' home phone in Dublin is hot; people are calling her from all over the world. The news of her resignation from Pope Francis' anti-abuse commission comes out of the blue on the day the Catholic Church celebrates the beginning of the penitential season of Lent.

Marie as a young girl was abused by a priest and has always been committed to helping the victims of pedophilia.

You have mentioned of an internal resistance. Do you believe the Curia is resisting the new rules against this terrible phenomenon of child abuse?

No, I do not think that there are resistances to the norms or specific action against pedophilia. It is rather the gut feeling that some considered our commission's work as an interference.

I do not know if this is part of the resistance against the Pope. What I found was a general unwillingness to cooperate.

You have however mentioned at least one specific case, arguing that it was the straw that broke the camel: the lack of commitment on the behalf of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to answer all the letters by abuse survivors.

I do not want to tell the names of the dicasteries. But yes, it is a specific case.

If you are an abuse survivor and write to tell your story asking for help and justice, and yet you do not receive a response, you are wounded once again. That is hard to understand.

Yet, both Benedict XVI and Francis have met with the victims, have listened to them, they have received them.

Francis had agreed to our recommendation. We asked that each individual victim should always receive a direct response. The Pope agreed, but some did not want to follow this indication. Continue reading

Sources

• La Stampa
• Image: Feminist Current