The Jesuit and child protection expert Hans Zollner surprisingly announced on Wednesday that he was withdrawing from the Papal Commission for Child Protection, sharply criticising the co-operation between the Commission and the Vatican.
Zollner made a statement on Wednesday afternoon in a written statement available to DOMRADIO.DE. Among other things, he criticices the lack of transparency in both personnel decisions and financial issues. Another problem is the lack of communication with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which has been responsible for the Commission for Child Protection since last year.
“The focus of the Catholic Church must be the protection of children and those in need of protection. Since the commission was set up in 2014, I have shared this hope with others. However, in my work with the Commission I have encountered problems that make it impossible for me to act in this way work to continue and urgently need to be addressed.
In recent years I have become more and more concerned about the workings of the Commission. This applies in particular to the areas of responsibility, implementation, accountability and transparency. I am convinced that every church must adhere to these principles, especially a papal commission.