Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, says Fr Zollner
(L-R) Ursula Stephens, CEO of Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd, Fr Hans Zoller Director of the Institute of Anthropology Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Maria Hicks, Archdiocesan Manager Institute for Professional Standards and Safeguarding and Archbishop Christopher Prowse Catholic Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn
Safeguarding is the responsibility of every person in the church, Fr Hans Zoller said last week, when he visited the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn as part of his Australian speaking tour.
“The main message is the Church needs to be a safe environment, and safeguarding needs to be an integral part of our mission – of every Church person, of every faithful, of every person in any type of responsibility in the Church,” he said.
“Safeguarding means creating safe space, providing safe relationships and following safe processes, and that is the co-responsibility of everyone.”
The Jesuit priest – and Director of the Institute of Anthropology: Interdisciplinary Studies on Human Dignity and Care at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome – is a world-renowned expert on safeguarding.
Addressing clergy, religious, safeguarding officers, parishioners, and church workers around the country, Fr Zoller emphasised that safeguarding is not a “tick and flick” box.
“I do hope we learn this is something that won’t go away, that we have to face, especially when we talk about the Catholic Church,” he said.
“What is really important is that we venture into the work of what the basics of safeguarding are so people are safe and feel safe.”
Fr Zoller said that with safeguarding under such strong focus, there was a danger of overregulation.
“This sometimes means church leaders, including bishops and provincials, listen more to their lawyers than to their own, and don’t reach out to victims and survivors of abuse in a pastoral way because they are fearful of possible legal consequences,” he explained.
Marymead CatholicCare Canberra and Goulburn (MCCG) Director of Clinical Governance and Supervision Kim Linsell said it was an interesting opportunity to hear from an international expert on safeguarding, and learn what was happening in other parts of the world.
“Key messages included the ongoing work to do in this area and the importance of developing a culture of trust,” she said.
“The attention to safeguarding is now broader than just children; this supports the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards inclusion of adults, and our approach at MCCG is to include all our clients regardless of age.”
Kim said Fr Zollner noted the complexity of the social system and the need for intervention at all levels, not just in the family system.
“This is something we can relate to,” she said.
“Safeguarding underpins all the work that we do in the community sector – it is about the safety and wellbeing of our clients. MCCG has a zero tolerance to the abuse of our clients and promotes that safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility.”