2023-06-23 20:05:00
June 23, 2023 / 1:05 p.m.
The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) announced the worldwide launch of a public consultation period to update the guidelines for the prevention of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
A press release from the Commission, released on June 23, indicates that the objective of the consultation is to modify the Universal Framework of Guidelines (MUD), a document recently approved by the institution in its Plenary Assembly.
“The role of these principles is to promote protection against abuse in the Church in accordance with existing good practice in safeguarding, focusing on assisting those affected by abuse and on the importance of properly dealing with cases of abuse” , indicates the message.
According to the Commission, in addition to the distribution of the MUD to the Episcopal Conferences of the world and to the superiors of religious Congregations and Societies of Apostolic Life, a “public comment period inviting them to participate in an online survey” has been opened until the end of September. of 2023…
To access this survey, you must enter the following link: https://www.tutelaminorum.org/universal-guidelines-framework/.
The consultation is available in four languages and contains frequently asked and other questions about the proposal contained in the MUD.
The press release details that the responses “will be reviewed, collated and incorporated into a final MUD for evaluation and approval by the Commission towards the end of 2023”.
“It will then be definitively distributed to all local Churches around the world asking them to update their current safeguarding guidelines and submit them for review by the Commission,” he adds.
In addition to leading the process of updating the safeguarding guidelines throughout the Church, the Commission announced that it will assist “those local Churches that lack the necessary financial or human resources to ensure the practical application” of the document.
The progress of the renewal of the safeguarding guidelines will be presented in an annual report on Safeguarding Policies and Procedures. The first draft is planned for October 2023 and the first full annual report is expected to be published in October 2024.
The MUD has its origin in the 2011 Circular Letter entitled “Subsidy for Episcopal Conferences in the preparation of Guidelines to deal with cases of sexual abuse of minors by clergy” published by the then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The document urges local Churches to provide systems to receive and manage allegations of abuse and to support all those affected, especially victims and survivors, among other requirements.
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Diego López Marina is a communicator and journalist by profession. He has been part of ACI Prensa since 2016 and currently works as one of the agency’s web editors.
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