Pope Francis has named Australian Missionaries of the Sacred Heart priest Fr Tim Brennan as one of 10 new members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
Fr Tim Brennan MSC.
Pope Francis has named Australian Missionaries of the Sacred Heart priest Fr Tim Brennan as one of 10 new members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
Pope Francis reconfirmed the leadership of the commission and expanded its membership from 17 to 20 people, with 10 new members and reappointing 10 returning members.
Fr Brennan, a canon lawyer, joins fellow Australian Neville Owen, a retired senior judge and former chair of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, on the commission. Fr Brennan led Australia's National Committee for Professional Standards for many years.
The commission’s 20 members include 10 women and 10 men. Twelve of the members are laypeople, three are women religious, three are bishops and two are priests. Four represent Africa or the Middle East, five come from the Americas, five from Asia and Oceania, and six from Europe.
US Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, president of the commission, said, “Coming from all over the world with varied backgrounds and a common passion for the well-being of children and vulnerable people, the members announced today include advocates and practitioners of prevention and protection to the many areas in which the church ministers to children”.
The members include “representatives from canon law, social work, the medical and psychological professions, law enforcement and the judiciary as well as pastoral experts who currently work in dioceses and religious congregations,” he said.
“They have all spent significant amounts of their professional lives listening to and supporting victim/survivors of sexual abuse by clergy and church personnel.”
This information was published on the website of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, via Rome news sources.