The Holy See's Journal, Osservatore Romano, Highlights the Gregorian's Commitment to Developing Academic Programs Which Fight Abuse in the Church at Every Level
This week the April 27th daily edition of the Vatican Newspaper L’Osservatore Romano highlighted the CCP’s academic promotion to the Institute of Anthropology: Interdisciplinary Studies on Human Dignity and Care, as well as the Gregorian’s Faculty of Canon Law’s new Diploma in Penal Jurisprudence. The article and interview edited by Dott. Paolo Pegoraro, the Gregorian’s Communication and Press Office manager, demonstrate how the university and Church as a whole are taking the proper steps toward a multi-disciplinary approach to fighting the various types of abuse that exist within it.
The new Institute will work together with other Gregorian faculties to broaden the scope of the understanding of the root causes of abuse, how to intervene, and how to prevent it. The interview explains how the the Faculty of Canon Law’s new diploma course will be conducted: a mix of theoretical courses that cover topics like criminal law in the Church and psychological aspects of crimes against the Sixth Commandment (that which pertains to adultery) and practical seminars that will analyze actual court cases and their final outcomes.
The university statement points out that the term “abuse” today typically refers to sexual abuse; however, as we have seen in recent years, abuse of power, spiritual abuse, economic abuse, blackmail, etc. are also deep-seated issues which need to be addressed. The new Institute of Anthropology’s interdisciplinary approach and the new diploma course in penal jurisprudence demonstrate the Vatican’s commitment to safeguarding all human beings. Fr. Hans Zollner, the CCP President asserts in his April 30th interview with EWTN: “It is very clear that our university … and the Holy See’s Congregation for Catholic Education approved of the project, and that means [they both] stand for this development of policy and of activities that will help us to create a safer Church.” The statement reaffirms the Gregorian’s firm stance on the subject, writing, “the Jesuit Nuno da Silva Gonçalves, the Gregorian’s Fr. Rector ‘reiterates and intensifies its commitment to the work of protecting minors and vulnerable people and supporting safe environments which promote respect for human dignity.’”