A prominent and outspoken British member of a papal advisory commission on sexual abuse by the clergy on Saturday refused to step down despite a no-confidence vote, and said only Pope Francis could dismiss him.
A statement issued earlier said that “it was decided” at a commission meeting that Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence. Saunders, head of Britain’s National Association for People Abused in Childhood, would now “consider how he might best support the commission’s work”, it said.
But Saunders, who as a child was abused by two priests, told a hastily called news conference: “I have not left and I am not leaving my position ... the only person who can remove me is the person who appointed me, the pope.”
Saunders said he had not been aware of the commission statement until after it was issued by the Vatican press office.
Saunders had been publicly critical of the commission, which was set up in 2014. Made up of clerics and lay people from around the world, its task is to help Pope Francis establish “best practices” in dioceses around the world to root out sex abuse in the Church. Eight of its 17 members are women and two are themselves victims of abuse by clerics.
Saunders said that on Saturday morning the commission had taken a near-unanimous vote of no-confidence against him, accusing him of being hard to work with and a “campaigner”, and of talking too much to the media.
Groups that track sexual abuse by the clergy rallied to his defence.
“The apparent attempt today by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to eject an outspoken survivor raises serious doubts about its integrity and independence,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org in the United States.

Critic of Vatican refuses to step down from sex abuse commission

Peter Saunders, a British advocate for survivors, talks during an interview with the Associated Press in Rome, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016. (AP)
Reuters, Vatican City
Sunday 07 February 2016
Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:46 - GMT 06:46
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