Monrovia, Liberia – Following the just ended National gathering of priests at the St. Paul College Seminary in Gbarnga, Bong County where they deliberated on their mission to serve the People of God in Liberia, Roman Catholic priests have finally resolved to uphold and protect minors and vulnerable adults under pastoral care.
According to the resolutions, the pastoral care is in line with the Policy Guidelines of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Liberia (CABICOL) and the Universal Church according to the provisions of Art. 1, & 1 of Vox Estis Lux Mundi, Art. 6, §§1 & 2 of the Motu Proprio Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela (2nd Revision, 2021), and canon 1398, §§1 & 2 of the 2021 revised penal law of the Code of Canon Law.
The decision was made a few months after a kid was allegedly raped by a Catholic priest who was thought to be an assistant pastor of the Christ the King Catholic Church.
The decision was made a few months after a kid was allegedly raped by a Catholic priest who was thought to be the Christ the King Catholic Church’s associate pastor.
One of the presenters at the event advised priests to refrain from accusing others or the Catholic Church of trying to sway the case’s outcome when a priest is accused of sexual abuse or rape. Instead, the pursuit of justice should be unhindered with no interference, whether through ecclesiastical procedures or civil action.
“Fostering Priestly Fraternity and Safeguarding” was the focus of the conference, which brought together priests from Liberia’s three dioceses.
The Roman Catholic Priests also resolved to recommit themselves in collaborating with the Local Ordinaries in providing pastoral care to our people according to provisions of canon 529, §2.
According to the resolution, they (priests) will promote responsible stewardship of Church’s resources, and to strongly encourage the faithful to contribute to the sustenance of the Church according to the provisions of can. 222, §1.
However, the Catholic Priests resolved to foster priestly fraternity, share joy, hopes and grief of one another according to provisions of canon 275, §1.
The clergy spoke on safeguarding and policy standards for dealing with incidents of sexual abuse on the first day of the event.
As stated, the policy places a high priority on a strong Victim-First approach, which calls for victims to be given priority attention and care. It also emphasizes that outreach to the victim’s family is an essential part of pastoral care.
The policy states that the goal is neither to downplay the seriousness of the issue nor to in any way justify the abuse.
Furthermore, the Church was advised to firm its commitment to cooperate with the Government of Liberia in cases, which underscored the Church’s policy is to avoid intervention or influence at the civil level and instead await the court’s final decisions.
Reported by: Prince Saah
Contact: +231778239813
Email: saahprince119@gmail.com
