The seven victims endured abuse in parishes, boarding schools, congregations, or ecclesial movements.

Their different stories and life journeys first intersected on 14 September, when they met to get to know one another and discuss the experiences, expectations, and requests they would share with the Pope.

The two-hour meeting took place at the bishop’s residence, a short walk from the Marian Shine of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Among those present was Bishop Gérard Le Stang of Amiens, president of the Council for the Prevention of and Fight against Paedophilia within the French Bishops’ Conference.

Ensuring this evil is not repeated

The Holy See Press Office released several details of the encounter.

“The Pope met each of them individually and in private, listening to their stories, to the pain and suffering they had endured—sometimes, sadly, with the complicity or silence of those who could have helped them—and to their proposals to ensure that this does not happen again. He spent a few moments in prayer with some of them,” read a statement released on Sunday evening.

At the end, the Press Office reported, “the Pope gathered with everyone in a room of the bishop’s residence and addressed a few words to them, thanking them for their painful testimony and reaffirming his commitment to ensuring that the evil they had experienced would not happen to others.”

Pope Leo then expressed his closeness to the victims and, through them, “to those who have suffered and still suffer from the wounds of the abuse they endured.”

Finally, “expressing his hope that they could work together so that the community of the faithful might increasingly become a place where men and women of every age can find comfort and healing, the Pope asked those present to pray for him and imparted his blessing upon them.”

Who are the victims who met the Pope?

The identities of five of the seven victims attending the meeting are known: Jean-Marie Delbos, now 80, one of the key witnesses in the serious abuse case involving Notre-Dame de Bétharram boarding school; Jérôme Guillement, assaulted as a teenager by a priest in his parish and now a coordinator in the Qualité de la relation éducative mission; and Véronique Garnier of the Foi and Résilience collective, author of two books in which, after a very long period of silence and personal rebuilding, she recounts her experience of severe and repeated abuse by the parish priest of her community in Nancy.

Also present were Olivier Mardi, an activist and co-founder of Voix Libérées de Touraine, who, together with his brother Frédéric, suffered abuse by Father Bernard Tartu while participating in the Petits Chanteurs de Touraine choir; and Bertrand Virieux, a cardiologist and founder of the now defunct Lyon association La Parole Libérée. As a boy, he was abused by Father Bernard Preynat, the former priest who died in 2024 and was convicted of abusing young Scouts between 1971 and 1991.

The other two participants chose to remain anonymous, including one person abused by Abbé Pierre, a prominent figure in the French Church.

A private encounter

The seven people who conveyed to the Pope the gravity of the scourge of abuse in the Church were “selected” by the French Bishops’ Conference and the Conference of Men and Women Religious of France, following contact with around 40 groups and individuals.

All had put forward ideas and proposals for the meeting, and its organizers sought to ensure the fairest possible representation.

The small number of participants—which drew protests from some groups—was a deliberate choice intended to allow a substantive exchange, as Pope Leo XIV himself had requested.

The group nevertheless gave the Pope letters from some of the groups or individuals contacted by the Bishops’ Conference’s Child Protection Service.

Utmost vigilance

Earlier on Sunday morning, Pope Leo referred to the “painful scourge of abuse of minors committed by members of the clergy or within the Church” in his address to the Bishops, whom he met before Mass in Lourdes.

The Pope called on the Bishops to exercise “the utmost vigilance”, while recalling the “utmost determination” with which the Bishops’ Conference had “adopted courageous measures to respond to them (the victims, ed.), listening, seeking truth, justice, forgiveness, reparation and a firm commitment to a culture of prevention and protection against such crimes.”

This was a reference to the process of transparency, reforms and compensation initiated by the French Bishops and guided primarily by the findings of the 2021 CIASE Report.

The report was the work of the independent commission established in 2018 by the Bishops’ Conference itself, and reported that more than 210,000 minors had been victims of abuse by almost 3,000 priests and religious between 1950 and 2020.

The Bishops have raised the issue of abuse at all their recent plenary assemblies and have sought to ensure that victims who had previously denounced the Church’s indifference were heard.

“I know that some moments have been very difficult for your Conference,” the Pope said in Sunday morning’s address, reiterating the need to “continue along the path already taken, maintaining the utmost vigilance.”

_{Source: Vatican News}

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The criteria which indicate that this standard is being met include…

EF1

The Church body will:

• Ensure that it receives and responds to allegations in line with the nationally agreed policies and Canon Law, including through reporting to statutory authorities within expected timescales.
• Collect necessary information to respond to allegations and concerns, while ensuring that this does not conflict with, or jeopardise the actions of, statutory authorities.
• When necessary, investigate allegations and utilise the findings to inform subsequent actions.
• Maintain an appropriate level of confidentiality in respect of allegations or concerns, in line with accepted standards.
• Keep accurate and retrievable records of allegations and concerns in accordance with data protection principles, national policies and procedures.
• Comply with the stipulations of Vos Estis Lux Mundi (2019, revised 2023) and the DDF’s Vademecum (2022) regarding responding to and supporting those who report having been harmed.
• Where relevant, inform the CSSA of the existence of the allegations and share with them the details that would enable them to  respond if required.
• Inform the trustees of the existence of allegations and confirm the responses being made.
• Routinely seek to draw and share learning from any allegations and concerns that are raised as a way of developing practice.

The following can be used to confirm that this standard is being met:

The minutes of leadership meetings within the Church body that record that an allegation has been received and has been responded to in accordance with the agreed policy for the Church.

Records of allegations and concerns received, and details of the responses made to them.

A written plan for supporting those who make and those who are the subject of an allegation.

< Standard Three

Standard Five >

The post Standard Four: Effective Management of Allegations and Concerns appeared first on Catholic Safeguarding Council.

The Catholic Church in England and Wales follows a zero-tolerance approach to abuse. It is our policy to report all allegations of abuse to the statutory authorities, regardless of:

• when the abuse is said to have occurred (recent or non-recent)
• whether the person accused is living or deceased
• the context in which the concern arises

If you have any role within the Catholic Church you must report any safeguarding allegation or concern immediately to:

• the safeguarding office for your diocese, or
• the safeguarding lead for your religious congregation, or
• directly to the police

Reporting is a mandatory requirement for all Church personnel — clergy, religious, employees, and volunteers.

If you are a member of the public

Please report any allegation or concern:

• Directly to the Police, and
• To the relevant diocesan or religious safeguarding office.

Your information could help protect a child, an adult at risk, or others who may be vulnerable.

Other useful organisations and contacts

NSPCC 
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
0808 800 5000

Childline
0800 1111

Samaritans
116 123

Family Lives
0808 800 2222

National Domestic Violence Helpline
0808 2000 247

Action on Elder Abuse (now Hourglass)
0808 808 8141

Rape Crisis
0800 500 2222 

Religious Life Safeguarding Service (RLSS)

Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA)

Stop it Now

Helpline: 0808 1000 900

Stop it Now offers a confidential helpline, live chat, and secure messaging service for anyone with concerns about child sexual abuse and its prevention.

This service is for those who may be worried about their own thoughts, feelings, or behaviour, or the behaviour of another adult or young person. Visit the website for Stop it Now.

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Bishop Paul Mason, the Lead Bishop for Safeguarding for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, alongside Sister Una Coogan CJ, the Lead Religious for Safeguarding for the Conference of Religious, explain how vitally important this work is to protect all who come into contact with the Church:

“Safeguarding is of vital importance to the Catholic Church in England and Wales and lies at the heart of our mission. Abuse has no place in the Church or wider society, and we have a zero-tolerance approach to it.  

“The Church is committed to listening, with humility, to the voices of victims and survivors as their experiences will always inform our safeguarding work. We are open to any learning that will refine and improve our practices to protect all.

“We again offer an unreserved apology to those who have been hurt by abuse in the Catholic Church in England and Wales and reiterate the open invitation from the bishops to meet with and listen to victims and survivors.

“It is the policy of the Catholic Church in England and Wales to report all allegations of abuse to statutory authorities, regardless of whether the abuse occurred recently or in the past, or whether the accused person is living or deceased. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 999.

“The Church is committed to continual review and development, assisted by the independent auditing work of the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency, so that all our communities are places of safety and sanctuary for all.”

Bishop Paul Mason
Lead Bishop for Safeguarding
Bishop of the Forces 

Sister Una Coogan CJ
Lead Religious for Safeguarding
Conference of Religious

The post Safeguarding Statement appeared first on Catholic Safeguarding Council.