The damage to a victim of abuse is in the image of God, says Secretary of the Pontifical Commission

Mons. Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCTM), warned that the damage to a victim of abuse is a direct wound to the same of God, so “a repairing action” is not enough, but that “a deep process that listens, welcomes and accompanies” is not enough. “

“The damage to a victim is disastrous. It is damage to the same image of God, to the relationship with the Church, to interpersonal relationships and one’s own identity. A victim sees his life projects and his ability to resilience damaged,” said Mons. Ali in a recent Interview with Ewtn News.

The auxiliary bishop of Bogotá – who, together with the other members of his team, met with Pope Leo XIV two weeks ago – ensures that the voice of the survivors is in the center of the church’s work and that the presence of victims within the commission itself is key to moving towards a true culture of prevention.

“In the Pontifical Commission we have victims; they are part of it as members. His voice is essential to know how to talk to all victims and survivors, and also to guide our answers in prevention processes,” he says.

Since its creation in 2014, the PCTM led by Cardinal Sean O’Malley has been one of the most concrete instruments of the Church to combat sexual abuse and promote a culture of safeguard.

Mons. Ali, insists that the commission’s work does not try to apply specific solutions, but to initiate a broad and deep repair process, based above all on listening.

The prelate shared that his pastoral perspective about this problem changed completely after directly listening to the testimony of a person who had suffered abuse.

“I had always read, studied, analyzed. But another thing is to face real pain, tears, despair of those who have been injured in the deepest. That transformed me,” he says.

For the Secretary of the Commission, a key part of the preventive work begins with adequate psycho -affective training since the first years of the seminar.

“Affective, community and sexual training must be present from the propedical until the end of theological formation. It has to be transverse, continuous and very connected to the emotional world and interpersonal relationships,” he said.

On the impact of the abuse crisis on priestly vocations, Mons. Ali acknowledges that it has had painful, but also positive effects.

“He has affected, because many move away to see cases of cases. But he has also helped, because he has forced us to rethink the vocational pastoral, and recognize that the priest is, above all, a human person, with wounds, crisis and emotions that he must learn to integrate,” he explains.

About the Marco Rupnik case

Regarding decisions such as the Lourdes sanctuary, which in March covered the murals of the artist and former Marco Rupnik, accused of abuse, Mons. Ali considers that it is necessary to act with discernment and empathy.

“Art can heal, but it can also retraumatize. It is not about condemning in advance, but about putting on the shoes of the victims and not forcing their pain with gestures that can be insensitive,” he said.

With a clear call to the entire Church, Mons. Ali concludes: The true repair only begins when those who have suffered are listened to. “That listening, that closeness, is the first step to restore what has been broken: the image of God in each victim.”