Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Pope Francis’ ‘detective’ into clerical sex abuse: ‘There is still much to be done in this fight’

The Archbishop of Malta, Charles Scicluna, 65, is perhaps the most respected figure within the Vatican in the fight against child abuse. He led the landmark investigation into Marcial Maciel, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, as well as inquiries into the bishops in Chile and the recent probe into Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana, a powerful ultraconservative organization in Peru.

In 2019, he returned to the Vatican’s inner circle to address the ongoing crisis plaguing the Catholic Church: clerical pedophilia. The pope entrusted him with a key role as Adjunct Secretary of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and as a member of the organizing committee for the synod in Rome with the presidents of the world’s episcopal conferences.

Scicluna is seen as the nemesis of abusive priests, a relentless hunter of pedophiles and their protectors within the clergy. Prudent and discreet, he admits that Pope Francis’s death came as “a great shock.” While he doesn’t want to comment on whether the next pontiff should be uncompromising in this fight, he warns that the cries of the victims cannot be ignored.

Question. What will Francis’ legacy be? He implemented significant reforms, and whether they remain or not will depend on his successor.

Answer. Obviously, the new pope will have to be honest with himself and express his vision of the Church. He can’t be a photocopy of the previous one. He will have to be allowed the freedom to make his own decisions. And we hope they will be made in tune with the demands of these times. We will follow them.

Q. Pope Francis polarized the Church. There have been many tensions. Will the new pontiff have to heal those divisions?

A. A prophet faithful to the Gospel will always be a sign of contradictions. There will always be tensions; every pope has been a symbol of these opposing forces.

Q. One of the pillars of your pontificate has been the fight against child abuse. Where does this fight stand now?

A. The list of reforms, laws, and documents is impressive. In 2014, he created the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, followed by a special body in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to study cases of child abuse. In 2016, he issued a motu proprio about the accountability of the Church in these matters... There is a new theology of the Church’s response to this issue. When one of our own is hurt, we are all hurt. And that makes us responsible for responding to the scourge of abuse.

Q. Beyond the laws and rules, there’s a culture of cover-up that’s harder to combat. Has anything changed in that regard?

A. There’s still much to be done. Cultures need conversion and convergence to promote reporting [of cases]. Another problem is that many victims protect themselves through shame and silence. And this is such an ingrained culture that it hinders the culture of reporting. We cannot say that everything is resolved; there is still much work to be done. There are just foundations, but the conversion of culture take a long time.

Q. It seems that the automatic processes haven’t worked, and that many of the resolved cases were due to Pope Francis’ personal efforts: Chile, Sodalicio, Legionaries...

A. Justice isn’t delivered automatically; it requires discernment, respect for people, and respect for the truth. These are structures that must function, and there’s still work to be done on that. I hope this work continues.

Q. Do you think that Francis’ death could relax that fight or leave the Church with fewer tools to combat it?

A. The instruments are there, and we must thank Francis for them. Now we must use them. But we must not be afraid of laxity in this matter: it is God’s people who demand justice. That desire will not die. It is something that must be above any pope. This is not his pontifical shield; it is about the safety of children. No one can ignore the cry of God’s people and of the victims.

Q. You are the deputy secretary of the CDF and head of the department dedicated to abuse. How many people work there? Are there any staff shortages?

A. Look, I too am the bishop of a large diocese. And the fight against child abuse isn’t carried out in the CDF, but in the parishes, in the schools, in the dioceses. The Pope insisted that each diocese have instruments for listening to and promoting the protection of minors. The CDF is important because these crimes find their penal response there. But the battle is won and lost in the parish, in the seminaries where future priests are trained. That’s where the war must be fought.

Q. But many in the CDF complain of a lack of resources for the number of cases that arrive.

A. We can try to ensure that the dicastery continues to have more staff. There are currently about 40 people dedicated to this work. But this is only part of the Church’s response. Child protection isn’t guaranteed there, but rather by promoting it in the parishes, where the people are.

Q. Is the current legal apparatus enough to address the issue?

A. The law must continually adapt to reality. And in the last 25 years, it has changed because reality has changed. Twenty-five years ago, the concept of online child pornography didn’t exist, for example. We shouldn’t lock any legislation in a box.

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