“The reality of sexual abuse in our Church goes to the heart of the synod’s agenda,” the letter says. “It deals with who we are as a community of faith, founded on Jesus. It permeates discussions on leadership models, ministry roles, professional standards of behavior, and of being in right relationship with one another and all of creation.”
“We ask that sexual abuse in the Church permeate your discussions as they address teaching, ministry, formation, and governance,” it continued.
The statement also urged the synod to dedicate time to the testimony of abuse victims and survivors, noting that many of the synod participants have experiences confronting or dealing with sexual abuse in the Church.
The PCPM, instituted in 2014, provides recommendations to the pope and local Churches on how to best protect minors and vulnerable adults from sexual abuse. In 2022, the independent commission was given a more central role in the Roman Curia within the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The group’s letter pointed to “recent publicly reported cases” that show “tragically harmful deficiencies in the norms intended to punish abusers and hold accountable those whose duty is to address wrongdoing.”
The PCPM said procedural flaws that leave victims wounded and in the dark need to be fixed and pledged to continue to study where changes can be made “so that all those affected by these atrocious crimes get access to truth, justice, and reparation.”