Madrid, Spain. When Consecrated Life examines itself, it often underlines the danger of urgent issues preventing other, important ones from being properly addressed. The protection of minors and the eradication of all forms of abuse are both urgent and important. Consistent with the Gospel itself, the Church cannot afford to slow down the momentum she is trying to give to all these issues.
During the last two academic years, the Institute of Religious Life of Madrid and the Center for the Protection of Minors of the Pontifical Gregorian University gave the first edition of a protection course in which about fifty people with important responsibilities in a good number of families of consecrated life and Spanish dioceses enrolled. The experience, in which various accredited teachers took part and several Spanish bishops participated, was very positively evaluated.
Within the framework of the second edition of this course, coordinated once again by Prof. Carlos Martínez Oliveras, the Institute is offering a morning of formation in an open online session, which will take place on Saturday, March 6. Two of the professors of the animating team of the course, the Claretian Missionaries Basilio Álvarez Llana and Carlos Martínez Oliveras, will take the floor. Fr. Basilio Álvarez, coordinator of the team to which the seven schools of the Province of Santiago are entrusted, will address the theme “safe environments for the care and protection of the vulnerable adult”. Fr. Carlos, doctor of theology and director of the Institute of Religious Life from 2013 to 2020, will give an interesting presentation: “abuses in the Church: retrospective look and current keys of the road travelled”. The session will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 noon (Madrid time).
The session, the first of three that will take place this year, will offer a very good opportunity to evaluate ways and rethink issues two years after the meeting that brought together in Rome representatives of the Bishops’ Conferences from around the world convened by Pope Francis. After that Vatican summit on abuses in the Church, in which some Superiors General also participated, the Pope promulgated a series of documents to which every institute of consecrated life has had to react during these two years.
If you would like to attend this formative session (in Spanish), you can do so by clicking on this link on Saturday, March 6 at 10.00 am: Sesión Formativa – II Curso de Protección de Menores ITVR-C
© Misioneros Claretianos Provincia de Santiago
