I woke up this morning and asked myself what would I like to change about the world. There are many things but one thing that came up is the abuse of power and betrayal of trust happening worldwide in the Catholic Church. Too many children's lives have been ruined and their futures stained at the hands of those who are charged to care for, nurture and guide them. Children are left in the care of the clergy only to be physically, sexually and mentally abused. While this abuse is pervasive throughout the Catholic Church, the hands of the church have been slow to take real measures to protect the innocent victims of these crimes. It's not enough to condemn. Real action is needed to ensure this never happens again.

I reached out to one of the diocese today and found out that their is no standing and universal law prohibiting the access of priests to minors without adult supervision. This seems like a no-brainer to me. When a pedophile is released from prison, he must register on an offenders list and must stay away from any place where children may live or play. But the Catholic Church, knowing that among the clergy there exists men who would hurt children in the same way, do not have safeguards in place at the highest levels to protect them.

If priests are not allowed to have unsupervised visits with youth under the age of 18, this will reduce the instances of abuse by limiting the opportunity for such abuses to occur. We must demand accountability and oversight from the church. This should be a worldwide law adopted at the very top. If the Vatican begins to take this seriously and to take real action the church can change and heal. Protect children by making this mandatory for all diocese worldwide.