The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors hopes to deliver a “Universal Guidelines Framework for Safeguarding” to Pope Leo XIV later this year, the commission said. Source: CNS.
The guidelines “seek to inspire a true conversion of heart in every leader and pastoral agent in the church, ensuring that safeguarding becomes not merely a requirement, but a reflection of the Gospel’s call to protect the least among us,” the commission said in a press release yesterday after its first meeting with Pope Leo XIV.
Also, “a new ‘vade mecum’ (hand book) on reparations, informed by the lived experiences of victims and survivors, is in development to guide local churches in responding with justice and compassion,” it added.
The commission updated the Pope about its work and “reiterated its commitment to the unity and collegiality of its members,” the press release said.
Some 23 members, including commission president Cardinal Seán O’Malley, attended the hour-long audience at the Vatican.
“A letter signed by all members following the March 2025 plenary assembly underscored the need for continuity in our mandate, governance and working methods — affirming the commission’s independence and its role as a trusted advisor to the Holy Father,” the commission press release said.
Pope Francis established the commission in 2014 to advise the Pope “in the development and promotion of universal safeguarding standards, and to accompany the church in building a culture of accountability, justice and compassion.”
Members also informed Pope Leo about the commission’s annual report, “a cornerstone of its mandate” that is “designed to evaluate the safeguarding capacity of local churches, offering practical recommendations grounded in the lived realities of each region,” it said.
This year’s annual report expanded the input from its victim/survivor focus group “with direct contributions from survivors across all four commission regions.
The new report will look at the church’s safeguarding efforts in 22 countries and two religious congregations, and it will include “an institutional review of the Dicastery for Evangelisation” as well as initial findings from a review of the Focolare Movement, it said.
“Our hope is to present the finalised universal guidelines framework to the Holy Father later this year,” it said.
FULL STORY
Commission tells Pope universal safeguarding guidelines almost ready (By Carol Glatz, CNS via OSV News)
