Pope Francis issues new church law on abuse and cover-up with little if no changes in current law.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2019
Pope Francis issues new church law on abuse and cover-up with little if no changes in current law.
Law allows bishops to keep child abusers in ministry with no consequences for bishops that cover. up sex crimes
Statement by Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA)
CONTACT
Peter Isely, Founding Member, ECA United States +1414.429.7259/ peterisely@gmail.com
Today Pope Francis issued a new church law which appears to be designed to make no significant or meaningful change in how bishops and the Vatican deal with cases of child sex crimes by priests, will leave potentially thousands of known abusers in ministry, and will have no consequences for bishops who cover up for abusers or do not report […]
Survivors of clergy abuse to meet Monday in Rome with Argentine Ambassador to the Holy See.
Crédito: L”Osservatore Romano.
Meeting in advance of actions and protests this week in Buenos Aires and Mendoza.
Groups want Pope Francis to visit his home country and resolve growing clergy abuse crisis there, enact “true” zero tolerance.
Papal Concordat with Argentina must be amended in cases of child sex crimes, groups say.
— Link to full text of ECA’s letter to Ambassador Pfirter.
— Link to schedule of media events and protests in Argentina, May 2-6.
APRIL 29, ROME, ITALY — Representatives of Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA), a global network of prominent clergy abuse survivors, activists, and organizations, are meeting on Monday morning with the Argentine ambassador to the Holy See, Rogelio Francisco Emilio Pfirter. The meeting takes place in Rome. It […]
Letter to Argentina’s Ambassador to the Holy See.
April 29, 2019.
The Honorable Rogelio Francisco Emilio Pfirter,
Embassy of Argentina in Rome, Italy,
Piazza dell’Esquilino 2,
00185 Roma,
Italy
Dear Ambassador,
We are writing to you as a global network of survivors of clergy abuse, activists, and organizations on behalf of and in solidarity with the survivors of Argentina.
As you know, the bishops of Argentina are in Rome for the next three weeks for their ad limina meetings with Pope Francis. They will discuss the church in Argentina and the challenges they face in their respective dioceses. The bishops have stated publicly that they will ask their former colleague to return to his home country — something he has not done in his six years as pope.
As survivors, we join the bishops in that request. We ask […]
That tacit agreement between the State and the Church that guarantees the impunity of Catholic priests from prison in Italy
Geneva 7 February 2019: “The Committee is concerned about the numerous cases of children being sexually abused by religious personnel of the Catholic Church in the territory of the Member State and for the low number of criminal investigations and prosecutions by the Italian judiciary”.
These are not our words but those of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, more precisely those contained in the recommendations of 7 February (point 21 of the report) that the Committee for the Rights of the Child disputes with Italy – in this case – against the Italian Justice, but continuing, in the same document, also against […]
With much touted “new” papal decree today, there is still no actual zero tolerance for child sex crimes by clergy even in Vatican City
STATEMENT BY: Peter Isely, (US Spokesperson/ECA Founding Member)
March 29, 2019. Today Pope Francis has put into church law for the small territory of the Vatican State what Vatican officials are touting as the most “advanced international thinking on the matter” of reporting, prosecuting and preventing child sex crimes and penalties for failing to report those crimes. Even though these changes apply to only several hundred Vatican state citizens and papal diplomats, the changes are being hailed by the Vatican as “the model” for bishops to follow around the world.
It’s appalling that the new law for the Vatican state does not even enact true zero tolerance for child sex crimes. Zero tolerance is simple and clear. Any cleric who has been determined to have […]
Survivors expectations High for Wednesday’s Anticipated Meeting with Pope Francis
Survivors expectations High for Wednesday’s Anticipated Meeting with Pope Francis
Survivors who are leaders of victims’ organizations from around the world will be in attendance
WHAT
Five victims of clergy sexual abuse who are members of Ending Clergy Abuse, a global organization of prominent survivors and activists who are in Rome for this week’s papal summit, will be meeting at the Vatican Wednesday morning. The group expects Pope Francis to attend the meeting. The meeting was arranged by the members of the papal summit planning committee.
WHEN
The group will first make remarks at a scheduled press conference at 10:30 a.m. then leave for the Vatican at 11:00 a.m. for the planned meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Members who are attending the meeting will be available for comment after the meeting.
WHERE
Press […]
Global Countdown to Zero Tolerance – ECA Schedule of Activities
“Global Countdown to Zero Tolerance.”
International Clergy Abuse Survivors, Activists and Allies to Stage Five Day Campaign in Rome during Papal Summit.
Actions will include a Global “March to Zero”.
Rome, Italy (January 31, 2019) — A global organization of prominent clergy abuse survivors and activists, Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA), will be leading actions and protests in Rome during the upcoming papal summit, February 20-24, calling upon Pope Francis to write into universal church law zero tolerance for sexual abuse and cover-up.
Expected in Rome will be fifty ECA leaders from six continents representing over 21 nations. They will convene in Rome on Monday, February 18. The group’s plans include a Global “March to Zero” led by survivors on Saturday, February 23. Joining ECA will be leaders […]
ECA Global calls for meeting with Pope Francis at February Summit.
January 16, 2019.
His Holiness, Pope Francis.
Apostolic Palace.
00120 Vatican City.
Dear Pope Francis,
We are writing to you as global survivors of childhood clergy sexual abuse and human rights activists to urge you to include in your February summit members of our association, Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA).
We are survivors and activists from virtually every part of the world where the church has made a home over the long centuries. In February, we will be present in Rome with approximately 45 participants from 21 countries and 5 continents. We will be standing outside peacefully but forcefully demanding action by you to effectively address the issue of clergy abuse of children and cover up.
It is our desire, however, to be inside the summit with you and your […]
Global activists present Italian clergy sexual abuse cases to the UN and follow with protest
Francesco Zanardi at Press Conference in Italy in Nov. 2018. Photo by: Simone Padovani.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. January 21, 2019. Francesco Zanardi, an Italian survivor and President of the Italian Association Rete L’Abuso and member of ECA Global, will be in Geneva at the headquarters of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on January 22nd and 23rd, to present the Italian case to The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Following the presentation on January 22, there will be a protest at 2pm.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the body of 18 Independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by its State parties. Among the States party to the Convention that will […]
Global group of activists and survivors of sexual abuse in France and elsewhere stand with Vignon
(Photo credit: John Leicester, File/Associated Press)
Statement by Nadia Debbache, ECA Assembly Member and Lead Counsel for La Parole Libérée.
November 4. 2018. French priest Pierre Vignon, a judge of the Officiality or Ecclesiasticel Court of Lyon (France) has just been sanctioned for publicly asking for the resignation of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyon.
Barbarin will be on trial at the criminal court in Lyon in January 2019 for failing to report the sexual abuse of more than 70 children by Fr Bernard Preynat in the 1980s and 1990s.
Last August Vignon launched an online petition calling for the resignation of Barbarin. The petition collected more than 105,000 signatures.
Under the pretext of a technicality in church law, and designed to punish Vigonon for his […]