Zollner says abuse is worldwide problem

Sexual abuse in church institutions is not confined to the US, Australia and Western Europe, but is a worldwide church problem, a leading member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Fr Hans Zollner SJ, has told katholisch.de, writes Christa Pongratz-Lippitt. The commission was founded by Pope Francis in 2014.

Ninety-six per cent of bishops’ conferences had now issued guidelines on how to prevent the sexual abuse of minors and it was no longer seen as a purely “western” problem by the world Church, Fr Zollner said. However, there were “wide differences” in the structures and mechanisms  introduced to prevent abuse. Zollner said the US, Ireland and Australia were the countries “most committed” to prevention.