Pope Francis recommended zero tolerance last Thursday (14) in the case of child sexual abuse, when he publicly spoke about the cause that led a Brazilian delegation to the Vatican on June 24.
“Please remember this well: zero tolerance for abuse against minors or vulnerable people. Zero tolerance. We are religious, we are priests to lead people to Jesus. Please do not hide this reality.”
The appeal was made on Thursday (14) to members of three religious orders, when he appealed to members of the Catholic Church not to be “ashamed” to report cases of sexual abuse and pedophilia.
The pontiff also stated that this problem is not solved just by leaving the abuser away from the victim. “I accompany you, you are a sinner, you are sick, but I must protect others. Please, I ask this of you: zero tolerance. This cannot be resolved with a transfer.”
The pope then encouraged the religious: “Don’t be ashamed to denounce”.
The statements were reproduced in posts and video on Vatican social media on Saturday. They are also a form of engagement with the #AgoraVcSabe movement, led by Instituto Liberta, to end the silence surrounding sexual violence against Brazilian children and adolescents.
The pope publicly reaffirmed the obligation to denounce, as he had done in the meeting with the Brazilian delegation made up of the president of the Liberta Institute, Luciana Temer, and the administrator Lyvia Montezano, who is one of the ambassadors for the cause, victim of abuse at the age of five. .
Luciana Temer highlights the importance of having the Pope personally committed to the cause and in the terms discussed during the visit.
“Zero tolerance for any sexual violence that involves the vulnerable and breaking the silence that surrounds these crimes. That’s what we talked to the Pope about three weeks ago. We are very happy with his speech now”, says the lawyer.
The president of Liberta also says that the expectation with the visit was to sensitize the pope on the subject and what objective was achieved with the papal declaration.
In Rome, she stressed to the pope the fact that families are silent in the face of abuse because they understand that silence protects the family unit – when it only protects the abuser and perpetuates violence.
On the occasion, the pontiff agreed and was categorical. “Claro, hay que hablar,” he said in Spanish. And he went on: “Speech heals, we need to get the skeletons out of the closet.”
Cases of abuse involving religious are recurrent and the pope has already expressed his outrage against abusers within the Catholic Church.
Last year, he even announced measures to curb cases of sexual violence. Among them, a rule was created that obliges members of the clergy to report suspected sexual violence to ecclesiastical authorities. The pope also abolished the pontifical secrecy on pedophilia cases.
Therefore, the president of Instituto Liberta is moved by a papal speech to the world in the sense that silence perpetuates such violence. Every hour, four girls under the age of 13 are raped in Brazil, according to 2021 data from the Violence Yearbook of the Brazilian Public Security Forum.
The Brazilian activist points out that most abuses take place inside homes and that it is important for the pontiff to talk about it too. “Talking about pedophilia in the Church diverts the focus from where the violence is greater, which is in the family, is the data we have”, says the lawyer. Data from the Yearbook of Violence also show that 67% of cases take place inside homes and 86% are committed by victims’ acquaintances.
The #AgoraVcSabe movement wants to give a voice to adults who were victims of sexual violence in childhood and/or adolescence.
The next virtual march with the victims’ faces takes place on July 28. To participate, you just need to be over 18 years old and record a video on the campaign’s website with the following sentence: “Sexual violence against children and adolescents is a reality. I was a victim and now you know it!”
Famous as presenter Angélica, businesswoman Luiza Brunet and former masterchef Valentina Schulz accepted the institute’s invitation to be ambassadors of the movement. They recorded videos for the TV Folha in which they talk about their commitment to the cause and how they publicly recognized themselves as victims of abuse.
The cause of Combating Sexual Violence against Children and Adolescents has the support of Instituto Liberta, a partner of the Social+ platform.
