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PRESS STATEMENT
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Secretary pro tempore, Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
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Ljubljana, November 28, 2022
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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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press relase - Plenary Assembly plans next phase of Commission’s work
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Implications of the Commission’s new statutes • Survivor engagement and the Annual Report • Digital Safeguarding in Church environments and online child protection • Understanding vulnerability and strengthening prevention • Safeguarding and consecrated life VATICAN CITY, 5 October 2026 – The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors concluded its October Plenary Assembly in Rome this weekend after five days …
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President Verny opens the Commission’s Autumn Plenary Assembly
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Opening address by Commission President Mons. Thibault Verny at the Autumn Plenary Assembly, held at Palazzo Maffei Marescotti in Rome from 28 September to 2 October 2026. I am delighted to open our Plenary Assembly by welcoming you all and thanking you for being here. For some of you, this has involved a long journey or required you to make …
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Commission Secretary Mons. Alí Herrera Sheds Light on Latin America Memoranda of understanding
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VATICAN CITY — The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is expanding its cooperation with episcopal conferences and regional Church organisations across Latin America to help local Churches develop sustainable safeguarding structures. Earlier this month, Content Manager William Roberts sat down with the Commission’s Secretary, Mons. Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, to discuss Tutela Minorum’s Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) across …
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REPARA: Learning from the Magisterium of Survivors
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During a visit to REPARA on 19 September, Bishop Alí Herrera, Secretary and Juan Carlos Cruz, member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, met Lidia Troya, Coordinator of the Archdiocese of Madrid's centre for the support of people affected by abuse within the Church. The visit offered an opportunity to reflect on the importance of victim accompaniment, …
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Bishop Alí: An abuse facilitated, amplified or generated through technological means is a real abuse, with real victims and real suffering.
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Madrid, 18 September 2026 - The growing impact of artificial intelligence on the lives of children and young people was at the centre of discussions during the IX Encuentro de Oficinas de Protección de Menores, (September 18 – 19) organised by the Spanish Bishops' Conference under the theme "Child Abuse: Artificial Intelligence and Reality." In his opening address, Alí Herrera, …
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Formation expands across Africa through workshops in Kenya and Zimbabwe
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MOMBASA, Kenya — Safeguarding formation took centre stage in two recent gatherings in Africa, bringing seminarians, formators and religious sisters together to strengthen prevention and safer pastoral environments across the Church. In Mombasa, 50 seminarians and their formators took part in a two-day safeguarding workshop from 4 to 5 August as part of the Memorare Initiative. Organised by Memorare Advisor …
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Philippine bishops advance next phase of child protection work
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OZAMIZ, Philippines — The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has taken a further step toward strengthening safeguarding across the country, building on months of dialogue with the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and preparing for a national policy workshop planned for October. Daniele Donnini, the Commission’s Regional Expert for Asia-Oceania, joined the CBCP Plenary Assembly in …
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In Historic First Commission Joins Latin America Safeguarding Network
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BRASÍLIA — In a landmark first for the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, it participated in the fourth meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for a Culture of Care, joining more than 100 safeguarding representatives from 17 countries in Brasília from 31 August to 3 September to strengthen regional cooperation on prevention, formation and safeguarding practice. Strengthening …
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Safeguarding at the Heart of Governance: Commission Joins CASILEP Conference in Nairobi
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NAIROBI — The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors contributed to a continental gathering of Catholic religious working in canon and civil law in Nairobi, highlighting the relationship between safeguarding, governance and the protection of human dignity across Church institutions. The conference, organised by Catholic Sisters in the Legal Profession, or CASILEP, brought together legal professionals and Church representatives from across …
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AMECEA Highlights Safeguarding in Its Synodal Journey With Young People
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NAIROBI — More than 140 Catholic bishops from across Eastern Africa gathered in Nairobi for the 21st Plenary Assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA), with young people and their role in the life of the Church at the centre of the week-long meeting. Held at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa from July 18-26, the assembly …
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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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