2023-08-18 23:20:00
August 18, 2023 / 4:20 pm
The Catholic Church in Cuba is carrying out training days for its pastoral agents so that they can collaborate with the prevention of cases of abuse in ecclesial environments.
The initiative is promoted by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba (COCC). This Friday the conferences culminate in the Archdiocese of Havana.
In statements to ACI Prensa, the secretary of the Commission to this for the protection of minors and vulnerable people of the COCC, Yimel González, explained that the participants make up the diocesan listening teams and “are in charge of collaborating with the bishops in acting in the event of possible news of abuse.”
These teams are made up of priests, nuns and lay people, and can have from three to six members, specialized in Psychology, Law, Forensic Medicine, Pediatrics, etc.
González indicated that the meeting in the Cuban capital was attended by “people from the dioceses of Pinar del Río, Matanzas, Santa Clara, Ciego de Ávila, Cienfuegos and the Archdiocese of Havana.”
The following days will take place in the dioceses of Holguín, Guantánamo, Bayamo-Baracoa and in the Archdioceses of Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba.
The secretary of the Commission also pointed out that these conferences are encouraged by the bishops, who in April attended a formation meeting, in which the issue was addressed “with an approach of its own for the Cuban Episcopate.”
In this sense, the conferences are the “result of the interest that the Episcopal Conference has in prevention to achieve safe ecclesial spaces. Also the commitment to transparency and zero tolerance”.
The Commission to this It is led by the Bishop of Matanzas, Bishop Juan Gabriel Díaz Ruíz.
The secretary of this Commission explained that the sessions “address issues such as abuse of conscience, power and sexual abuse and the dynamics in which this is carried out.” It also explains how to ensure that ecclesial spaces are safe from the implementation of the Code of Conduct that has been approved by the Episcopate”.
“Equally, the presentation of the Guide lines of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba and the Procedures manual for action in the event of a possible complaint,” he said.
Yimel González reported that the pastoral agents “have assumed this training as men and women of faith,” aware that the painful phenomenon of abuse requires a comprehensive response, that is, acting “when necessary in response to a complaint, but also going to the causes of the problem.
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In this sense, he highlighted the commitment to achieve safe environments for children and also for people with disabilities.
At the Havana event, the participants requested “a space for adoration before the Blessed Sacrament to present to the Lord this service that is entrusted, and pray for the victims and all those affected by the phenomenon of abuse.”
Eduardo Berdejo is a graduate of the National University of San Marcos (Peru). He has been part of the ACI Prensa team since 2001.
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