Alerts Sign-up
VATICAN CITY — The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is preparing to present a "Universal Guidelines Framework for Safeguarding" to Pope Leo XIV by the end of the year. This initiative aims to foster a "true conversion of heart in every leader and pastoral agent in the church," according to a statement released by the commission on June 5 following its meeting with the pope.
The guidelines are intended to ensure that safeguarding becomes more than just an obligation, but rather an embodiment of the Gospel's call to protect vulnerable individuals. Additionally, the commission is developing a new 'vademecum' on reparations, which will be informed by the experiences of victims and survivors. This guide will assist local churches in addressing these issues with justice and compassion.
During their meeting, 23 members of the commission, including Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, President and retired Archbishop of Boston, briefed Pope Leo on their ongoing work. Other attendees included Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, Secretary of the commission, and Teresa Kettelkamp, Adjunct Secretary.
A letter from all members after their March plenary assembly highlighted the importance of maintaining continuity in their mission and governance while emphasizing their independence as advisors to the pope. Established by Pope Francis in 2014, the commission's role is to develop universal safeguarding standards and promote accountability within the church.
The commission also updated Pope Leo on its annual report, which evaluates local churches' safeguarding capabilities and offers practical recommendations based on regional realities. This year's report will focus on "conversional justice through reparations," featuring a study and data collection on current practices within the church globally.
The report includes insights from survivor contributions across four regions and country-level data drawn from reviews by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. It examines safeguarding efforts in 22 countries and two religious congregations while reviewing institutions like the Dicastery for Evangelization and initial findings from Focolare Movement evaluations.
"We hope to present our finalized guidelines framework to His Holiness later this year," stated the commission. Developed over two years with input from global church leaders, professionals, survivors, and pastoral workers, these guidelines have been refined through pilot programs in Tonga, Poland, Zimbabwe, and Costa Rica.
The commission expressed appreciation for increased collaboration with Roman Curia dicasteries and invited further partnership efforts. They reaffirmed their dedication to supporting victims and survivors while assisting church communities in safeguarding all individuals with compassion.
