{"id":16278,"date":"2025-04-25T21:37:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T04:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=16278"},"modified":"2025-04-25T21:37:01","modified_gmt":"2025-04-26T04:37:01","slug":"the-morning-lead-irish-woman-who-resigned-from-vatican-abuse-panel-says-pope-francis-met-resistance-from-within-the-journal-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=16278","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTHE MORNING LEAD: Irish woman who resigned from Vatican abuse panel says Pope Francis \u2018met resistance\u2019 from within\u201d, The Journal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Diarmuid Pepper<\/a>, Dublin, 23 Apr 2025 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Francis was very straightforward and answered straight questions with straight answers, he didn\u2019t brush over things.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marie Collins speaking at a panel event on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults at the World Meeting of Families in Dublin in 2018  Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AN IRISH WOMEN who resigned from a Vatican Commission on protecting minors due to lack of cooperation from Church officials has described Pope Francis as a pontiff who \u201cdidn\u2019t brush over things\u201d when meeting with abuse victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marie Collins was a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors<\/a> but resigned in 2017 over what she described as a \u201cshameful\u201d lack of cooperation.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collins is a child sexual abuse survivor and brought the priest who abused her in the 1960s to justice in 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is a founder Trustee of the Marie Collins Foundation and has campaigned for the protection of children and justice for survivors of clerical sexual abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commission<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Speaking previously to The Journal<\/em>, Collins said that there were \u201ca lot of good plans\u201d in the first Commission report which was launched in October.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the recommendations of the pilot annual report <\/a>was the \u201cneed for a streamlined process for discharge from office when warranted\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also called for the Church to \u201cstudy damages and compensation policies to promote a rigorous approach to reparations, as part of the Church\u2019s commitment to the healing journey of victims and survivors\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"pope-francis-prays-inside-st-marys-pro-cathedral-during-his-visit-to-dublin-ireland-saturday-aug-25-2018-stefano-rellandinipool-photo-via-ap\"Pope Francis prays inside St Mary\u2019s Pro Cathedral during his visit to Dublin  Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pope Francis established the Commission, consisting of an independent panel of experts, in December 2014<\/a>, amid pressure for more action to tackle clerical child sex abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commission was then incorporated into the Roman Curia, the government of the Holy See which assists the pope in the day-to-day exercise of his role as the leader of the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, Pope Francis asked for an annual and \u201creliable account on what is presently being done and what needs to change\u201d and that the reports need to have a particular focus on the care of survivors of abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018He didn\u2019t brush over things\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Collins met with Francis on several occasions in the Vatican and also met with him in Dublin in 2018 with a group of abuse survivors during the World Meeting of Families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI always found that what you see really is what you get with Pope Francis,\u201d said Collins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was a very normal, down to earth sort of man, and that\u2019s not true of previous popes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was very straightforward and answered straight questions with straight answers, he didn\u2019t brush over things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said that while Francis has done a lot of good, \u201che also disappointed in many other ways\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted the new document that Francis introduced in 2019 against those who abuse or cover up abuse.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This involved every diocese in the world setting up an \u201ceasily accessible systems for submission of reports\u201d concerning abuse or cover-ups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also an obligation to \u201cpromptly\u201d report all accusations and ensure that Bishops are \u201cheld accountable for their actions\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, Francis also made complaints, testimonies and documents from internal Church trials available to lay courts and victims were able to access their files and any judgements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Collins said this \u201dhasn\u2019t really worked very well and there\u2019s been no follow-up\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"pope-francis-arrives-at-the-festival-of-families-event-at-croke-park-on-august-25-2018-in-dublin-ireland-pope-francis-has-arrived-in-ireland-for-the-first-papal-visit-to-the-country-in-nearly-four\"Pope Francis arrives at the Festival of Families event at Croke Park on 25 August, 2018  Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collins meanwhile also noted that Francis changed the Commission from being an independent group to being part of the Vatican Curia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Curia is essentially the government of the Catholic Church and one of the reasons Collins left the Commission in 2017 was because it was due to be separate from the Curia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it has now been embedded into the Curia and given a \u201cstable and central role\u201d.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The commission\u2019s president is US Cardinal Sean O\u2019Malley, the former archbishop of Boston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the launch of the first annual report, O\u2019Malley described Collins as \u201cone of the most beloved and valuable members of the Commission\u201d and said he was \u201csorry when she decided to step away\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe understood the reasons and all of us have felt that frustration of the slowness of change coming about, but we believe that the change is taking place, even though it\u2019s often an uphill climb,\u201d said O\u2019Malley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added: \u201cThe fact that the commission is being embedded within the Roman Curia, and given a permanent status, will be very helpful to our work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"downloadFile image of Boston Cardinal Sean O\u2019Malley  Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Collins said there are \u201cmany in the Curia who are quite conservative and traditional and don\u2019t want to see change\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey still have that priority that the reputation of the Church has to be protected at all costs, and they\u2019re not really willing to move very far, very fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrancis has moved things forward and I think he\u2019s a good man who has tried, but maybe not hard enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe gave a lot of hope, and things have improved in some areas, there\u2019s no doubt, but not as far as they should have done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collins said that Francis \u201cmet resistance from within the Vatican who did not want to move forward\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI found that when I was on the Commission and that was the reason I resigned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe pope approved things that the Commission recommended to him, but they weren\u2019t carried through by his civil services within the Vatican because they didn\u2019t agree with everything that he wanted to put in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey succeeded in seeing that some things didn\u2019t go forward. It\u2019s a mixed bag, it\u2019s not black and white \u2013 he\u2019s done some good stuff but there was a lot more that could have been done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dublin meeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Collins recalled a meeting between representatives of the Mother and Baby homes and Francis in 2018 during his visit to Dublin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning of Mass in the Phoenix Park following this meeting, Francis said<\/a>: \u201cWe ask forgiveness for the children who were taken away from their moms and for all those times when many single mothers were told that to seek their children who had been separated from them \u2013 and the same was told to their daughters and sons who were looking for their mothers \u2013 that this was a mortal sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not a mortal sin but the Fourth Commandment. We ask forgiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"dublin-ireland-26082018-pope-francis-greets-the-crowd-at-phoenix-park\"Pope Francis greets the crowd at Phoenix Park in 2018  Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collins told The Journal<\/em>: \u201cThe next day at the Mass in the Phoenix Park, Francis went off his pre-written script and made a statement saying that no mother who went looking for a child was committing any sort of sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was willing to do things like that when you approached him directly and I think that meant a lot to those survivors to have Francis say that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Collins said Francis was very forthright in her dealings with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you put something to him and he agreed with it, he would do something about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf he didn\u2019t agree with it, he would tell you he didn\u2019t agree with it, he was a very straightforward individual from that point of view, he didn\u2019t beat about the bush.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclave<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Collins meanwhile warned that \u201cwe could do an awful lot worse than Francis following a conclave\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think Francis made efforts in the right direction, he had the right attitude, and he did believe survivors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe talked about abusers and abusing priests as being criminal, which we hadn\u2019t had before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe maybe forget that he did say and do things like that that did make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe he didn\u2019t do enough, and maybe he could have done more, but we could easily get someone in to replace him who will move things back, not forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collins noted that Francis has been progressive on other issues, such as welcoming the LGBT community and women\u2019s rights, but remarked that \u201cthey\u2019re all very small steps\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe has brought more women into the Vatican and looking at it from the outside, it looks like a very small movement. But within the Church, it\u2019s not taken as being very small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Church is so wrapped up in tradition and things not changing, that even the small changes he\u2019s made have in some ways shaken some people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t need a really big, dramatic change as the Church moves forward very, very slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether his successor will follow up and continue to move things forward, it\u2019s hard to say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She expressed hope that Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines might be the new pope but noted that \u201cpredictions never work out with the papacy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"pope-francis-right-smiles-with-cardinal-luis-antonio-tagle-archbishop-of-manila-during-ceremonies-at-a-mass-at-cathedral-basilica-of-the-immaculate-conception-in-manila-philippines-friday-jan\"Pope Francis, right, with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle during ceremonies at Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Manila, Philippines, in 2015  Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also noted that Francis has appointed many of the Cardinals who will be voting in the conclave \u201cso the next pope might be closer to his view on the world than not\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrancis done a fair amount to move things forward in the areas of child abuse, women in the church and LGBT community, but it\u2019s a very small forward movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would hope that the next man that comes in would take things much further, because a lot more is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diarmuid Pepper, Dublin, 23 Apr 2025  \u2018Francis was very straightforward and answered straight questions with straight answers, he didn\u2019t brush over things.\u2019 Marie Collins speaking at a panel event on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults at the World Meeting of Families in Dublin in 2018  Alamy Stock Photo AN IRISH WOMEN who resigned from a Vatican […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001004,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16278"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001004"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16278"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16279,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16278\/revisions\/16279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}