One of the world’s most prominent and respected experts in child safeguarding has described ways in which Australia is leading the charge in the protection of minors from abuse.
Fr Hans Zollner SJ, founder and director of the Institute of Anthropology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, is in Australia at the invitation of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Catholic Religious Australia, Australian Catholic Safeguarding Limited and the Australian Catholic University.
A psychologist and licensed psychotherapist, he was a founding member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and has shaped the church’s response to safeguarding matters in recent decades.
Addressing a fundraising lunch in Sydney for the people of the Ukraine hosted by Cardinal Mykola Bychok, Fr Zollner spoke of Australia’s “very supportive” attitude to safeguarding.
“The work being done here in terms of research is extraordinary,” Fr Zollner said. “I don’t think any other country has invested in research in the area of studies on children maltreatment and so forth as Australia.”
He also spoke of his admiration for the work of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, saying that Australia is “the leading country in terms of safety, especially for children.”
Fr Zollner’s keynote address focused on the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults in the context of war and challenged every person in attendance to play their role in accompanying those who had been victims of trauma.
“Let me say one thing where I think the church can do a lot for all those who have been harmed in this war, in Ukraine, in every war, in every traumatic situation, also for survivors of clergy sexual abuse,” he said.
“The church needs to step up to a community responsibility in the accompaniment. We will never, ever get close to the number of trauma specialists and trauma-informed carers that we will need to work with all the people in the world who are traumatised. We will never get close to that. Forget about it. “We don’t have the resources. We don’t have the personnel. Therefore, we need to be creative in finding another way in which a community takes care of those who have been harmed in our midst, either by us ourselves, communities, or by others from outside.”
He explained that this was not just about compliance with laws and regulations, but a change in mentality that sees the provision of safe environments as the personal mission shared by every member of the faithful, every member of the clergy, every bishop and every cardinal.
Fr Zollner’s call to action was echoed by Cardinal Bychok, who also exhorted those present to action.
“This requires us to stand in solidarity with survivors of abuse and the patience to listen to children and the vulnerable,” the cardinal said.
“It requires us to be informed and to acknowledge the crimes that have been committed and to make sure that justice is seen to be done. It requires us to face uncomfortable truths and to seek forgiveness not just by our words but by positive actions.”
In a poignant moment during his vote of thanks, Cardinal Bychok spoke of the suffering of children in his homeland.
“Today, we turn our attention and prayers to the children of Ukraine, who are suffering the abuse of a war of aggression.
“More than 20,000 children have been stolen by Russia for re-education and resettlement in Russia.
Thousands of children have been displaced. Thousands have been orphaned.”
The cardinal also shared what he said to Pope Francis when he was elevated to the rank of cardinal in December.
“People often ask me what was said between me and Pope Francis as I was kneeling before him at the consistory. I said, ‘Holy Father, please do all that you can, using all the resources of the Holy See to save Ukrainian children who have been stolen by the Russian aggressor and to see them returned to their homeland and families,’’ His Eminence said.
The fundraising event was held at Kyiv Social, a social enterprise restaurant that offers employment opportunities for Ukrainian refugees who have come to Australia but face challenges in finding employment because their skills and training are not necessarily recognised in Australia.
Founder Shaun Christie-David told those gathered that the restaurant, part of a broader movement known as Plate It Forward, provides ongoing employment to more than 200 people over three restaurants, and has donated more than half a million meals to those less fortunate, in Australia and overseas.
Donate to Cardinal Bychok’s Ukrainian Appeal here.