A prominent British member of a papal advisory commission on sexual abuse by the clergy who has been outspokenly critical of the Vatican has left the group, the Vatican said on Saturday. A statement said that at a commission meeting 'it was decided' that Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence. Saunders, head of Britain's National Association for People Abused in Childhood, would now 'consider how he might best support the commission's work'. In a separate statement, commission president Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston said Saunders had been asked to advise the commission on the possible establishment of a victim survivor panel. Saunders, a victim of sexual abuse by a priest, did not immediately reply to a telephone message requesting a comment.
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)Updated: