As the Vatican gets ready for the pivotal papal conclave, victims of clergy sex abuse are calling on the Catholic Church to face its darkest history. With the death of Pope Francis, they say, a key void has been left in the way the Church deals with abuse scandals—scandals that have long tainted its worldwide image.
Survivors Gather in Rome, Demand Action
Survivors from around the globe have come to Rome on the eve of the conclave, seeking to make their mark on the future of the Church. The advocacy group Ending Clergy Sex Abuse, speaking for 20 countries, expressed its resolve unambiguously. “I think it’s very important to remind them that we will not go away,” the group stated, doubling down on their demand for transparency and accountability.
Their presence arrives as the Vatican continues to face criticism for previous shortcomings in dealing with systemic abuse. Cardinals have already brought up the matter at pre-conclave sessions, Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said. Bruni affirmed that the cardinals described the crisis as a “wound to be kept open,” recognizing the need for ongoing awareness and finding meaningful ways to heal.
Pope Francis’s Efforts and Limitations
When Pope Francis came to power in 2013, he was left with a Church filled with unresolved allegations of abuse and condemnation. His predecessors were unable to fully understand or respond to the mounting scandal, but Francis took significant measures to tackle the crisis.
In 2019, the pope ordered bishops around the globe to prioritize child protection. He went further than policy by meeting in person with survivors of abuse, a move interpreted as symbolically powerful. Even more significantly, he brought forward and subsequently broadened the Church’s most far-reaching legislation against sexual abuse. These changes held Church officials—and even cardinals—accountable for abuse and cover-ups of minors or vulnerable adults.
But even in these major strides, critics insist that clerical abuse is a continuing issue and that Pope Francis’s strategy was not without faults.
World Imbalance in Admittance
Former member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Marie Collins, described the existing challenge. “In most countries in the so-called non-Western world, abuse is still regarded as the Western issue,” she said in an interview to the New York Times.
“There are very strong forces in the church, not just in the Vatican, that are still of the traditional view that can’t confront this issue because it destroys the reputation of the church. It’s clericalism at its worst,” she said, urging greater self-reflection from Church leaders.
Pressure on Cardinals and Papal Candidates
Other advocacy groups, such as the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), are also calling for reform. They demand that the cardinals who are voting in the conclave consider how each papal candidate has responded to abuse allegations in their dioceses. Toward that end, SNAP recently started “Conclave Watch,” an international project monitoring the records of cardinals on their handling of abuse cases.
While the world waits for the election of the new pope, survivors and reformers are determined that justice and transparency must be at the center of the Church’s future.
