News
From The Commission
Pope Leo XIV opens Commission plenary with call to deepen safeguarding culture
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Monday opened the Plenary Assembly of the Commission, encouraging its members to continue strengthening a culture of safeguarding across the life of the Church. Receiving the Commission in audience at the Apostolic Palace, the Pope...
Commission Announces Second Annual Encounter on Safeguarding in Consecrated Life
VATICAN CITY — The Commission is preparing the second edition of its annual encounter dedicated to abuse prevention in consecrated life. Titled "Called to Communion, Care, and Justice: Mutual Relations for a Shared Mission", the event will take place over three days...
Tonga-Niue diocese finalises locally grounded safeguarding framework
TONGA — The Catholic Diocese of Tonga and Niue is finalising a comprehensive safeguarding policy and protocol suite developed through the Universal Guidelines Framework (UGF) pilot programme and subsequent local diocesan work. The new suite brings together a...
From Policy to Practice: Why Safeguarding Must Change How the Church Lives
VATICAN CITY — In this month’s episode of Inside Safeguarding, William Roberts sits down with Commission member Teresa Devlin, head of the Universal Guidelines Framework initiative. After more than 15 years working in child safeguarding within the Catholic Church,...
Accompanying the Churches of central and Eastern Europe: commission presents its safeguarding priorities
GAMING, AUSTRIA - On 28 January, representatives of Catholic aid agencies gathered at the invitation of the Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). During the meeting, the Regional...
Pope Leo XIV Urges Global Action as Catholic partners convene on “From Crisis to Care” Initiative
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has renewed the Church’s urgent call to defend the rights and dignity of the world’s most vulnerable children, praising the global Catholic initiative From Crisis to Care: Catholic Action for Children while warning that...
Caritas India strengthens safeguarding through learning visit in Mumbai
MUMBAI — Caritas India strengthened its safeguarding efforts through a two-day learning and exposure visit held in Mumbai on 5–6 December, bringing together members of its Internal Committee with leading practitioners from the Church and social service sectors. The...
Commission leads Safeguarding Formation to Support Curia Colleagues
VATICAN CITY - A new training programme focused on workplace wellbeing and emotional safety has been launched for staff of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (DIVCSVA), following a formal request from the...
Cape Verde Capuchin Custody gathers for safeguarding formation and draft guidelines
MINDELO, CAPE VERDE - From 13 to 17 January 2026, the Capuchin Custody in Cape Verde gathered at the Domus Ordinis on the island of São Vicente for its annual week of ongoing formation, this year focused on the care of minors and vulnerable persons. The...
Pope Leo XIV urges bishops to listen to survivors, calling abuse crisis a deep wound in the Church
VATICAN CITY — On 10 January Pope Leo XIV addressed the Cardinals gathered in Consistory and renewed a forceful call for a culture of listening within the Church, saying the sexual abuse crisis remains “a real wound” and that many victims have suffered further harm...
From Our Partners
Applications Open: European Conference on Safeguarding in the Catholic Church
The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) is pleased to announce a Call for Abstracts for its upcoming European Conference. This event is designed for Church leaders and safeguarding personnel in Dioceses and Religious Congregations from across Europe.
Nov. 18: A Global movement to protect children
On November 18, on the sidelines of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Fall Assembly in Baltimore, Cardinals and World Faith Leaders will join child sexual abuse survivors for the Pathways to Prevention, Healing, and Justice Inaugural Sunrise Walk. At...
Indian Church opens National Safeguarding Centre
By Fr Joshan Rodrigues. A significant step forward was taken by the Catholic Church in India with regards to the protection of minors and vulnerable persons, with the inauguration of the National Safeguarding Centre on the 8th of September 2021, the Feast of the...
The ISC prepares the final event of its 2021 conference: Prevention Post Pandemic
The International Safeguarding Conference’s 2021 conference focused on the issue of Prevention Post Pandemic is ongoing, and its final event is drawing closer.
Bishop Arrieta: How Book VI of Canon Law has changed
Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru is the Secretary of the Pontifical Council of Legislative Texts. In an interview with Vatican Radio’s Christopher Wells, he explains why Book VI on Criminal Law has been revised and updated.
Vos Estis: Two Years Later, a Conversation with Canonists
Vos estis lux mundi was promulgated in May 2019 to address the issue of bishops’ accountability for clergy sexual abuse. It was approved “ad experimentum” for three years. Two years in, how is it going?
The ISC Launches its 2021 conference On Prevention post Pandemic
In light of what has happened globally, this conference aims at creating the space for collaborative professional development and fruitful sharing about how to deal with the consequences the pandemic has had on safeguarding children, young people, and people at risk.
Pope: child abuse is a kind of “psychological murder”
Pope Francis on Saturday urged families, educational and public institutions to tackle with renewed determination the scourge of child abuse, paedophilia and child pornography, describing them as “psychological murder”.
Cardinal Parolin: reaffirmS the dignity of Our Smallest ones
The Vatican Secretary of State sent a message during the meeting promoted by our Safeguarding Partner Telefono Azzurro that focused on the theme “Dignity of children and adolescents at the time of Covid”. The Cardinal stressed the need for “a more incisive approach in the education of our younger generations.”
ACSL Says Goodbye to outgoing CEO Sheree Limbrick and welcomes Dr. Ursula Stephens as new CEO
Ms. Sheree Limbrick: “Finally, to the survivors and advocates who I have met, who have trusted me with their stories, who have courageously and quietly helped CPSL/ACSL to stay true to our purpose and maintain clear line of sight to those most horrendously abused within our Church, I say thank you for your courage, trust, determination and resilience.”