Global abuse survivors and advocates say “Vos estis lux mundi” is not ‘zero tolerance’ for sexual abuse
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 03-28-2023
In an open letter to Vatican abuse czar, groups demand a universal and binding ‘zero tolerance’ law
The global community of clergy abuse survivors and advocates represented by Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) and the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) sent an open letter to Fr. Hans Zollner Tuesday morning calling on Zollner, in his role as the Vatican’s chief abuse expert and spokesperson on the global clergy abuse catastrophe, to urge Pope Francis to fulfill his promises to abuse survivors by making “zero tolerance” for sexual abuse and its institutional concealment a universal and binding Church law.
Four years ago, survivors and advocates from around the globe met with Zollner and other Vatican officials to insist on making ‘zero tolerance’ a universal Church law so that any clergy member found to have committed acts of abuse against a child or vulnerable adult can no longer legally remain in ministry and any bishop or Church official who is found to have covered up sex crimes can no longer legally remain in a position of authority.
On March 25th, Pope Francis announced updated recommendations to Vos estis lux mundi, his suggested instructions to bishops housing and managing sex offenders in their respective dioceses. Vos estis lux mundi is not a universal and binding Church law. “Worse,” say survivor organizations, “it is misleading to say or suggest that it is.”
The full text of the open letter can be found below.
Dear Fr. Zollner,
As a global community of clergy abuse survivors and advocates, we are writing to you in light of the recently-announced updated recommendations to bishops around the world in Vos estis lux mundi. As you know, these suggested instructions do not hold the force of Church law. Even if they did, survivors are dismayed that these instructions do not endorse ‘zero tolerance’ of sexual abuse and its institutional concealment. In other words, if a clergy member is found to have committed acts of abuse against a child or vulnerable adult, a bishop is not legally required to remove that sex offender from ministry. If a bishop or Church official is found to have covered up sex crimes, they can legally remain in positions of authority.
Pope Francis promised survivors and Catholics around the world ‘zero tolerance’ for sexual abuse. Vos estis lux mundi is not that. Worse, it is misleading to say or suggest that it is.
Our demands for actual ‘zero tolerance’ remain unchanged since our meeting with you and other members of the Vatican anti-abuse task force at the papal summit on abuse in 2019. As the Vatican’s chief expert and spokesperson on the global clergy abuse catastrophe, your counsel holds great weight with Pope Francis. We are calling on you to urge Pope Francis to fulfill his promise to us by making ‘zero tolerance’ a binding and universal Church law.
Sincerely,
Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP)
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