February 4, 2019 — The former director of the Vatican Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ, praised the document on sexual abuse prevention adopted by the Catholic Bishops of Canada. He will also be the moderator of the summit that will take place in Rome at the end of the month to help the universal Church to deal with sexual abuse.
In an interview with Civilta Cattolica, the Jesuit daily newspaper of the Holy See, on January 19, the former papal spokesman congratulated the Canadian Bishops on their document protecting minors from sexual abuse. Father Lombardi cited the Canadian episcopal document as an example: "Born of many years of experience and suffering," he said, this pastoral guide "goes beyond simple procedures to be followed and deals with what the entire ecclesial community must do to serve victims, promote justice and protect children.”
Described as "wise" by the French daily La Croix, Fr. Lombardi will have the delicate task of moderating the discussions at the summit taking place in Rome from February 21 to 24, which should enable the universal Church to better combat sexual abuse. Pope Francis has indeed summoned to the Holy See the presidents of all the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences in order to address this scourge collectively.
