The Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa’s (AMECEA) is rolling out Safeguarding training in all seminaries across the territories of member conferences.  

The decision to make Safeguarding a core aspect of formation to the priesthood was part of a resolution passed at the AMECEA executive board meeting in October in Nairobi, which also includes training in Safeguarding for Seminary formators and rectors.  

The most recent Safeguarding session was held in Kampala, Uganda, in St. Mary’s National Seminary Nov. 4-8, 2024. Augusta Muthigani, regional expert of Africa for the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, travelled to Uganda to take part. 

Forming the Future of the Church 

Opening up the training, Mons. John Baptist Kauta, the Secretary General of Uganda Episcopal Conference, spoke about the importance of being formed in Safeguarding and emphasised the need to prepare well the future priests of the Church so that they are formed to develop an attitude of duty of care.  

14 seminarians took part in the three-day training which focused on raising awareness on Safeguarding, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement in Safeguarding practices in Seminaries, and proposing recommendations for enhancing these initiatives.  

Reverend Father Anthony Makunde, Secretary-General of AMECEA stressed the importance of formation for the seminarians. He called upon the rectors and formaters of seminaries to take the lead and guide the way in strengthening the holistic formation to form the future priests to take the proper responsibility as well as be well prepared to respond to the needs of the faithful.  

Continuous Formation in Safeguarding 

Augusta introduced the rectors of the participating seminaries to the Commission’s Memorare Initiative, which is built around the Universal Guidelines Framework, and Pope Francis’ 2019 motu proprio, “Vos Estis Lux Mundi.” The initiative was developed in 2023 by the Commission in response to Pope Francis’ request to assist local churches in implementing the requirements of church law for the protection of minors and vulnerable adults.   

The Memorare Initiative is based upon three pillars:    

• Firstly, the creation of offices or institutions to receive reports of abuse and to listen to victims/survivors, their families, and to refer them to the professional or pastoral services they require;    

• Secondly, assistance in the development and implementation of training and education programs for the prevention of sexual abuse in church settings;   

• Thirdly, the creation of local Safeguarding networks for resource sharing. 

The participants all emphasised the importance and need of continuous Safeguarding training so they may have the proper knowledge and skills to both recognise and prevent abuse. Seminarians, formators and the rectors all wished to be part of creating a new culture of healthy relationships and care within the Church. A culture of Safeguarding, openness and accountability should develop into policy and procedures.  

Several of the seminarians shared that this training had been their first encounter with Safeguarding and expressed gratitude for being introduced to the mission of the protection of minors. One participant stated that they hoped to put into practice what they have been taught and to promote the dignity of the human person.  

The following training will be held in November 21-28 in Tanzania.