Four-Day Vatican Summit On The Protection Of Minors Opens In The Vatican

Pope Francis speaks to the participants at the Vatican summit
on the 'protection of minors' at the Synod Hall on Feb. 21

Photo courtesy: Vatican Media, via CNA

Pope Francis, on February 21, opened the Vatican summit on the 'protection of minors' from Catholic clergy sex abuse, with more than 200 world bishops, cardinals, Vatican officials, priests, experts, and clergy sex abuse victims in attendance. Abuse victims came from the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. 

In his opening remarks, the pope gave a list of "21 talking points" for the participants that include "suggestions to have periodic reviews of protocols on safeguarding, handbooks of steps authorities should take in abuse cases, provisions for facilitating the participation of lay experts in investigations, and the direction to inform civil authorities and higher Church authorities in compliance with civil and canonical norms," reports the Catholic News Agency (CNA).

The summit will also deal with raising the minimum age of marriage for women from 14 to 16 years and make it universal in the Church, psychological evaluations of the seminarians for the priesthood, and proper penalties for priests or Religious who commit the abuse.

Some observers feel that the Vatican now is dealing with only one type of problem (clergy sex abuse of minors -- also known as pedophilia), but, in reality,  there are priests all over the world with other types of sex abuse problems, for example, bi-sexual priests (going after both men and women), heterosexual priests (going after women and nuns -- some priests even having illegal abortions done on their lovers, and others having secret children of their own), homosexual priests (going after men), and so on. These priests need to be dealt with, too, to have greater accountability and "sexual chastity" in the Church. Who, then, will bell the cat in the future? 

For more on the ongoing Vatican summit, you may read the following:

• Pope Proposes 21 'reflection points' for discussion at abuse summit (Feb. 21, 2019)
• Meeting on "The Protection of Minors in the Church" -- Reflection Points (Feb. 21, 2019)
• Pope warns Catholic leaders the faithful expect concrete action to end sexual abuse (Feb. 21, 2019)
• Pope promises change at first Vatican summit on sex abuse (Feb. 21, 2019)
• Pope Opens Meeting on Clerical Sex Abuse Under Great Pressure From Victims for Change (Feb. 21, 2019)
• First Vatican summit on child sex abuse (Feb. 21, 2019)
• Searing testimony heard at Vatican sex abuse summit (Feb. 21, 2019)
• Pope Francis presents action plan for tackling clerical sex abuse but victims dismiss it as inadequate (Feb. 21, 2019)
• Vatican Sexual Abuse Summit In Rome Hears From Survivors (Feb. 21, 2019)
• Pope Francis vows action on clergy sex abuse but US prosecutors say Church can't be trusted to police itself (Feb. 22, 2019)
• Distrust and anger shadow Vatican summit on sex abuse (Feb. 21, 2019)