26 May 2022 – A Day kept apart for the second webinar on safeguarding policies. Around 118 CJ/IBVM members were informed and inspired by the expert resource person Mrs. Tina Campbell, Assistant Coordinator for Promotion of a Culture of Protection (PCCP) at the Jesuit Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat of the General Curia of the Society of Jesus. With her excellent knowledge on the theme, ‘A Call to Conversion of Heart for Creating a Safe Environment for Children and Vulnerable Adults’ Tina explained to the participants the importance and significance of the topic while she clarified many queries raised by some of them.
The two input sessions were inspiring at the same time very challenging. Tina began the session with a reference to the sacred shoes of Mary Ward while she reminded us that we need to explore safeguarding in terms of a journey and one which we are making together. Quoting Pope Francis she said, “We are firmly committed to carrying out the reforms needed to encourage from the outset a culture of pastoral care, so that the culture of abuse will have no room to develop, much less continue.” Taking us through ‘reactions, feelings and perceptions of survivors’ Tina opened before us the various forms of abuses in the church and the congregations. For me personally the ‘spiritual abuse’ was an eye opener and it invited me to be different in my daily living. Taking it as a journey one needs to apply this to one’s own daily life and not to treat it merely as a law or policy. The sharing in our small groups was very helpful and there was enough freedom to share one’s experiences in this field of safeguarding.
We are deeply grateful to Tina for her valuable time and the expertise with which she imparted her knowledge with us. Sure, a word of gratitude to the General Leadership Team for organising this important webinar online for the members of Mary Ward family.
Deepa Toms CJ, Delhi Province
