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PRESS STATEMENT
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Good morning and let me begin saying that I am pleased to be here, visiting Slovenia for the first time as a guest of the Bishops Conference and to be addressing them during their 113th Plenary Session which begins this evening with mass in the Cathedral of Ljubljana. I am Fr. Andrew Small, OMI and I am the Secretary for the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, an entity of the Roman Curia within the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican.
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The evil of the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable people is not new. The scandal of sex abuse in the Church is also not new. However, building the resolve among Church leadership to stop such abuse, to expose cover ups in the Church and hold leaders accountable for their actions is relatively new in the Church and long overdue.
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Most recently, Pope Francis increased the importance and visibility of this vital work safeguarding in the Church by making the Pontifical Commission one of the core elements of his ministry as supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. By aligning our work of prevention alongside the discipline section of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith that holds priests and bishops accountable for committing acts of sexual abuse, the Holy Father is strengthening the Church’s oversight functions in this area. He is also inviting the entire Church at whatever level to prioritize this important work so as to reduce the risks of abuse and to eliminate the negligence and mishandling of abuse accusations by bishops and other administrators.
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The President of our Commission since its founding in 2014 is Cardinal Sean O’Malley OFM, Cap., a Franciscan and a Capuchin. And he has said repeatedly that there is no other area of the Church’s life and ministry that is as important for priests and bishops as that of combatting sexual abuse in all its various forms. Indeed, unless the Church is able to show that it can protect children, it will be unable to authentically preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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I thank the Bishops Conference for their kind invitation and the Jesuit Community for its warm welcome. And I look forward to meeting with the Bishops and other Church leaders here in Slovenia and to learn about their journey of prevention and protection so far and to discuss together how to ensure that all are provided with safe spaces in our Church so that we can be sure that the faithful can experience the fullness of life promised by God and to bring the reign of God more closely into our daily lives. Any progress has to be visible, stable and verifiable if it is going to bring some degree of confidence that real change is taking place. I look forward to helping the Church in Slovenia bring about that progress. The consequences for failure in this area are simply too heavy to bear.
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Commission concludes Plenary Assembly: Concrete Closeness to Victims and Survivors
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The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors concludes Plenary Assembly, March 5 – 8, 2024. Commission finalizes Pilot Annual Report on Safeguarding Policies and Procedures in the Church and approves submission to the Holy Father. Commission approves an expanded version of the Universal Guidelines Framework (UGF) Commission welcomes Holy Father’s endorsement of Memorare Initiative capacity-building program in the Global …
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Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors Announces Funding for Safeguarding Initiatives in the Global South
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PCPM approves 230,000 Euros in grants as part of its Memorare Initiative. Funds will provide training and qualified staff in several countries. Conferences of Bishops and Religious sign cooperation agreement with PCPM Vatican City, December 21, 2023. ----- At a recent meeting of the Executive Council of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, 230,000 Euros in funding to …
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Fr. Small to Italian Safeguarding Representatives: Resist appeals to stop talking about abuse
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On Friday Novemeber 17, PCPM Secretary Fr. Andrew Small OMI addressed participants in the First National Meeting of Territorial SNTM Representatives, organized by the Italian Episcopal Conference CEI. Below is an English translation of the original text in Italian: Vatican, 17 November 2023 First National Meeting of Territorial SNTM Representatives Organized by the Italian Episcopal Conference Address by Rev. Fr. …
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Pope Francis to Safeguarding Operators: Protect, listen and heal.
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On the National Day of Prayer for Victims and Survivors of Abuse in Italy, Pope Francis meets Safeguarding Operators from across the peninsula ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCISTO PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEETING ORGANIZED BY THEITALIAN EPISCOPAL CONFERENCEFOR THE PROTECTION OF MINORS AND VULNERABLE PEOPLE Clementine HallSaturday, 18 November 2023 _______________________________________________ Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! I greet Cardinal Zuppi, …
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Card. O' Malley on #EndChildAbuseDay: Working together to Break the Silence
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The intervention of the President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors at a conference organised by SOS Telefono Azzuro Foundation and the Italian Embassy to the Holy See on the occassion of the European Day to End Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. 'Listening to child and adolescent victims of sexual abuse to develop effective help and protection …
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A Call to Action on the Occasion of the Consistory for the Creation of New Cardinals and the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
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Commission urges solidarity with victims and survivors in light of ongoing revelations of abuse. Commission calls on Church leaders to increase commitment and resources to promote safeguarding everywhere. Commission asks that safeguarding be given a priority in the Synod on Synodality. Solidarity with those who hunger and thirst for justice. As the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, we …
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Card. O' Malley: Address to Plenary Assembly
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Address of Cardinal Sean O’Malley OFM. Cap., at the Opening of the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Palazzo Maffei Marescotti, May 4th, 2023. Dear Colleagues: We have gathered to continue the work we began in our first meeting last October, shortly after the new membership was announced, builds on the work of the …
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New Strategies Against Abuse
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At the Plenary Session in May, Cardinal O'Malley said the Pope “has asked a lot from us, and we are all committed to making this work.” For information on the Plenary Assembly click here By Salvatore Cernuzio Vatican News A "new universal framework" to update Church guidelines; a fund with contributions from the Bishops' Conferences for training and assistance to …
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Statement from Card. O' Malley (Update)
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Statement from Cardinal Sean O’ Malley OFM Cap., President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors “The Commission has been informed that Father Hans Zollner SJ, has asked to be relieved of his duties as a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Fr. Hans told me that he came to this decision after …
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Card. O' Malley on Vos estis lux mundi update
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Statement of Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM. Cap., President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on the publication of the updated motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi. The Church’s ongoing work of preventing sexual abuse by ministers of the Church received a further boost today with the publication of the definitive version of Pope Francis’s motu proprio Vos …
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Card. O' Malley's Address to Churches in Central and Eastern Europe
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"Honest assessment of our failures gives the Church the insights needed for the ongoing work of doing all that is possible to prevent further abuse."
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Pope to warsaw Conference: Misguided concern for Church reputation should not sideline abuse victims' welfare
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In a video message to a 3-day conference in Warsaw, Poland, on safeguarding children from abuse in the Church, Pope Francis calls for real and reliable change. By Vatican News staff reporter As an important international conference on the protection of vulnerable children and adults for the Churches of Central and Eastern Europe kicks off in the Polish capital, Warsaw, …
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The Voices of Victims of Clergy Sexual Abuse
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Ewa Kusz, a member of the organizing committee for the regional conference on the protection of minors for central and eastern Europe taking place in Warsaw, gathers the voices of people who have been abused by priests. By Ewa Kusz What do those who have been wounded within the Church say? What do they expect from the Church, from “Church …
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PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR THE PROTECTION OF MINORS
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Largo Giovanni Paolo II | 00120 – Vatican City State
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