Safeguarding the young and vulnerable

How to bring healing to those affected by clerical sex abuse and assist offenders to live risk-free lives and how effective are the safeguarding measures adopted to protect the young and vulnerable? These were the main topics being discussed at the Anglophone Catholic Safeguarding conference held in Rome this month which brought together clergy, religious and safeguarding staff from 20 English-speaking countries around the world.

One of the delegates there was Bishop Blase Cupich of Spokane in Washington State who's Chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People. He told Susy Hodges that the conference was a valuable opportunity for clergy and lay staff to learn together and from each other: "Not only do we exchange best practice (procedures) which can be helpful to us but we provide each other with mutual support to keep looking for ways in which we can improve our outreach to victims and also for measures to protect children." Bishop Cupich says it's important "to deepen our awarenes of the real scourage of sex abuse, not only within the Church but in society."

Another of the delegates attending the Safeguarding Conference was Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay in India. Referring to the reluctance mentioned by some African delegates about making accusations (of sex abuse) against priests or other people of authority in their nations, Susy Hodges asked Cardinal Gracias whether there was also "a conspiracy of silence" in India? He replies: No, I don't think it's true for India, there's no conspiracy of silence" ... but I do agree that in certain families there is great respect for priests and so they would not talk out against priests so openly but ... I wouldn't think the whole thing is supressed in any way"

Bishop Declan Lang of Clifton Bristol is Vice Chair of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission in England and Wales. He told Susy Hodges that when it comes to safeguarding measures against the risk of sex abuse, constant vigilance is required on the part of everybody within the Church as paedophilia can never be completely eliminated: Bishop Lang says "We can never sit back and say we've done it all because paedophilia is not something that can be wiped out, there's always going to be a risk factor in any community and we've just got to minimize that risk factor."
Listen to the report by Susy Hodges: