Caring for the little ones

This morning in the Vatican, the Holy Father met with the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller.  During the meeting, His Holiness and the Prefect discussed various matters pertaining to the work of the Congregation.

Following the conclusion of the meeting, the Congregation issued a communique explaining that the Holy Father recommended in particular that, continuing the protocol put in place by his venerable predecessor Benedict XVI, the Congregation will have the competency to make decisions pertaining to cases of sexual abuse, primarily by promoting measures to ensure the protection of children, providing help to those who have suffered such violence in the past, ensuring that due process be followed so that culprits be dealt with in suitable manner, and ensuring the commitment of Bishops' Conferences throughout the world to the formulation and implementation of the directives necessary in this area in order to ensure the ongoing testimony of the Church and its credibility.

The Holy Father asked the Congregation to communicate also the assurance of his particular interest, care and continued prayer for those who suffer as a result of abuse.