In the diocese of Chambéry, the culture of good treatment to fight against abuse

On October 5, 2021, the publication of the Ciase (Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church) report shook the entire French society. According to the report, more than 330,000 minors and vulnerable people have been victims of sexual abuse committed by priests or lay people in the Church in France since the 1950s.

Upon learning of it, Marie-Jo Verlucco felt intense anger. His fight for good treatment was born that day. “I had to do something with this indignation. I first proposed evenings in parishes to talk about these abominable acts. And it is by wanting to “positiveize” the fight against sexual abuse that I developed the culture of good treatment,” confides this 69-year-old retiree, coordinator of the monitoring and prevention unit for the protection of minors in the archdiocese of Chambéry, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Tarentaise, in Savoie.

Beyond the charter of well-treatment for the protection of minors distributed by the Conference of Bishops of France, Marie-Jo Verlucco, co-author with Marie-Christine Guillou of Handbook of well-treatment (Ed. Médiaspaul), established five rules: “Welcome. Respect. Find balance. Be vigilant. Form. » In the chapter of vigilance there is this golden rule: “Never be alone with a child in an enclosed space. »

Provided free of charge for three years, the training is aimed at priests, lay people carrying out a mission in the Church with young people (catechism, etc.), but also at parishioners. “It is not a presentation, but rather an exchange and introspection which allows everyone, through exercises, to become aware that we can all be abusive in spite of ourselves. Good treatment starts with yourself,” explains Marie-Jo Verlucco.

“A sign of hope”

This prevention system is strongly encouraged by Mgr Thibault Verny, Archbishop of Chambéry and president, at the Vatican, of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. “He asks us to go further to reach everyone,” explains this grandmother of five grandchildren. The idea is that there is a trained watchman in each group of parishes. »

Gendarme in Challes-les-Eaux, close to the prefecture, Estebane Caballero, 36, followed the training last fall: “It gave me a framework. I feel less helpless, including in my work. » And to conclude: “This initiative shows that since the Ciase report, the Church has moved forward. It is a sign of hope. »