Survivors of clergy abuse urge Vatican to expand zero-tolerance policy beyond US

Copyright AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File

The US standard was implemented during the peak of the abuse scandal in the country, and mandates that any priest found guilty of a single act of sexual abuse — whether admitted or proven under church law — be permanently removed from ministry. 

Adopted by US bishops to restore credibility after Boston’s abuse scandal was exposed by the Boston Globe’s Spotlight series, the policy has since stood as one of the strictest in the Catholic Church.

Known as the “one strike and you’re out” rule, the policy is seen by some as a benchmark for safeguarding, though it remains controversial.

Globalising zero-tolerance

Survivors argue that there is no reason these protections cannot be universal, given that the Holy See approved them for the US church. 

“Despite Pope Francis’ repeated calls for zero tolerance on abuse, his words have yet to lead to any real action,” stated Gemma Hickey, a transgender survivor and president of the global survivor network Ending Clergy Abuse.

The proposal to expand the policy originated in Rome in June during a meeting that brought together survivors and leading Catholic figures, including Reverend Hans Zollner, a Vatican safeguarding expert, and Bishop Luis Manuel Ali Herrera, deputy head of the Vatican’s child protection advisory board. 

However, key Vatican offices such as the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles abuse cases, were notably absent from the press conference announcing it.

This absence was a signal that the proposal’s chances are far from certain.

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