Salt + Light Media Home
Salt + Light Media Menu
Salt + Light Media Home
Magnifying Glass

Marie Collins, of the Pontifical Commission for Child Protection, Resigns

Matteo Ciofi

Thursday, March 9, 2017

CNS photo/Carol Glatz
Last Wednesday, Marie Collins announced through her Twitter account that she had left the Pontifical Commission for Child Protection.
Marie Collins, a survivor of child abuse by a priest, explained her decision was mainly motivated because of a "lack of cooperation from the dicastery which is more involved in addressing cases of abuse," namely the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
On her website, she went on to say that "despite the Holy Father's [approval of] all the recommendations made to him by the Commission, there were constant obstacles.” She felt “resistance by some members of the Vatican Curia to the Commission's work” and called this lack of cooperation “shameful.”
On this matter, the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said, "For Marie Collins, the only way to react and to shake the tree, was to resign." Parolin also stated that he always saw great commitment on the part of Cardinal O'Malley, who is president of the Commission for the Protection of Minors. The Secretary of State added that the Commission is not the one which deals with cases of sexual abuse, rather, it is the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which does so. The Commission must be “concerned above all to create an environment in the Church to defend children, protect them, and does not allow the other of crimes of pedophilia.”
For the commission’s president, the decision is a hard hit. In a statement, he recognized the “extraordinary” contribution of Marie Collins. Pope Francis accepted Marie Collins’ resignation last February, expressing appreciation for her work. She agreed, per the request of Cardinal O’Malley, to continue working with the Commission in an educational role. She was the only remaining survivor sitting on the commission. In February 2016, Peter Saunders, an English man and a victim of abuse, left the commission for similar reasons.
The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors was established by the Holy Father in March of 2014. The Commission has the specific task of proposing “the most opportune initiatives for protecting minors and vulnerable adults.” It must also ensure that such crimes are “no longer repeated in the Church,” and should “promote local responsibility in the particular Churches, uniting their efforts to those of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the protection of all children and vulnerable adults.”

For more on Marie Collins' resignation, watch Vatican Connections, every Friday at 8 pm EST!


Matteo Ciofi is a producer for Salt + Light's Italian-language Sale e Luce. Follow him on Twitter!


Related Articles:

Category: General Posts

Tag: Catholic, child abuse, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Marie Collins, Pontifical Commission for Child Protection, Pope Francis

Pray with the Pope Reflection – June 2025

Friday, June 13, 2025

Fr. Edmund Lo, SJ

In this month of June, the Holy Father invites us to pray that the world might grow in compassion, that each one of us might find consolation in a personal relationship with Jesus, and from his Heart, learn to have compassion on the world.

Chaplaincy: “Divine Coffee” for Students

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Gianpaolo Capozzi

Gianpaolo gives us a behind the scenes look at his upcoming Behold segment on the York University Catholic Chaplaincy.

Pope Leo XIV’s homily for Pentecost Sunday 2025

Sunday, June 8, 2025

Pope Leo XIV

On Sunday, June 8, 2025, Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass for the Jubilee of Movements, Associations, and New Communities and spoke about how the Holy Spirit helps the apostles overcome "their fear, shatters their inner chains, heals their wounds, anoints them with strength and grants them the courage to go out to all and to proclaim God’s mighty works."

Homily of Pope Leo XIV at the Mass for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly and referred to Pope Francis and mentioned spouses who have been beatified and canonized, like the parents of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

Looking back on Rerum Novarum

Monday, May 26, 2025

Matthew Neugebauer

Pope Leo XIV chose his name primarily to highlight his most recent namesake Leo XIII, whose "historic encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question" to the challenges of his time. What concerns does the encyclical address? How does it speak to its time? And what has been its legacy 134 years later?

SUPPORT LABEL

Receive our newsletters
Stay Connected
Receive our newsletters
Stay Connected
Copyright © 2025 Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation
Registered Charity # 88523 6000 RR0001
FR | CH