ROME – Commission staff members joined the Global Summit 2026: Fostering Hope for Children, held from 3 to 5 June, contributing to wide-ranging international discussions on child protection, research and faith-based collaboration. Emer McCarthy and Serena Viti attended the summit on behalf of the Commission’s Online Abuse Study Group (OASG). The Summit was convened by the Society for Global Flourishing together with World Vision International, Harvard University, the Institute for Global Human Flourishing at Baylor University, Gallup, and a wider coalition of research, faith-based and non-governmental organisation partners.

The gathering brought together academic leaders, philanthropic partners, policymakers, faith communities and NGOs to discuss approaches to child wellbeing and protection across diverse cultural and institutional contexts. For the Commission, the Summit offered an opportunity to engage with broader ecumenical and international conversations on safeguarding research, policy and practice.

Among the themes explored were the spiritual foundations underpinning child protection work, including the inherent dignity of the child, a principle that resonates across many faith traditions and informs safeguarding approaches in different cultural settings. Participants also shared resources developed by various organisations committed to ending violence against children. One such resource highlighted at the Summit was a toolkit on nurturing the spiritual development of children in their early years, framed as a contribution both to child protection and to children’s holistic wellbeing.

Commission staff also engaged directly with partners working on the prevention of technology-facilitated abuse, participating in discussions held under the Summit’s Working Group on Child and Youth Social Services and Spiritual Development. Safeguarding in digital environments emerged as a significant theme within this group, underscoring the relevance of the Church’s safeguarding expertise to broader conversations on child welfare in online spaces.

The Summit reflected a constructive shift in tone within the wider sector, one that positions faith-based organisations not solely as responders to harm, but as active contributors to prevention, protection and the creation of environments in which children can thrive.

The Commission’s participation forms part of its ongoing engagement with ecumenical and international partners working towards the safeguarding of minors, reflecting its broader commitment to collaboration across the Church and with civil society organisations pursuing shared goals in child protection.