Founding member of pope’s child protection board resigns

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — A founding member of Pope Francis’ child protection advisory board has resigned. In an unusually frank resignation note, the Rev. Hans Zollner complained about inadequate transparency, financial accountability and clarity around the board’s relationship with the Holy See’s sex abuse office. Francis announced the creation of the commission in 2013 to advise the Vatican on best practices to prevent clergy sexual abuse. The board has gone through several iterations since then. Another founding member, Irish abuse survivor Marie Collins, resigned in frustration in 2017 over alleged Vatican stonewalling on the commission’s proposals. Zollner pointed in his resignation note released Wednesday to a difficult relationship with the Vatican office that processes all sex abuse cases.