Pope Francis has appointed a bishop who is also a psychologist and a former U.S. state police colonel as the new secretary and deputy secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
Bishop Alí Herrera, from Colombia, is the youngest member of the commission, but he has extensive experience in child protection advocacy in Latin America.
Teresa Morris Kettelkamp had a career in the police force with the rank of colonel. She also headed one of the largest protection offices in the United States.
These two secretaries with diverse and specialized profiles are facing one of the tasks that the Pope has emphasized the most during his pontificate: the fight against abuse.
Pope Francis himself emphasized this in his meeting with the members of the commission at the beginning of March.
Your observations will keep us moving in the right direction, so that the Church will continue to engage with all its might in preventing abuse, in its strong condemnation, in its compassionate care for victims and in its ongoing commitment to be a welcoming and safe place.
At the head of this Vatican institution is Cardinal O'Malley, who was entrusted by the Pope with the investigation and prevention of abuse within the Church. This year officially marks 10 years of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
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