Pope Francis’ Motu proprio, establishes new procedures for reporting abuse and violence. The document covers not only violence and abuse against children, but also abuse of authority. This includes cases of violence against religious by clerics, as well as abuse committed against adult seminarians or novices. One way to protect people is to provide good them with training in being assertive, so that they can challenge unacceptable behaviours, or to feel confident to report them to authorities. This article discusses assertiveness and what it involves.
