Australia’s contribution to the 2026 International Safeguarding Conference in Rome included presentations by safeguarding practitioners, faith leaders, academics and survivors to more than 300 delegates from around the world. Source: ACSL.
Under the theme “One Commitment, Many Contexts: Safeguarding Across Cultures”, the June 16-19 conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University explored safeguarding through the lens of interculturality, with particular attention to communities with significant migrant populations.
Sessions were underpinned by the core principles of transparency, accountability and compliance.
For the first time, the conference incorporated regional online working groups supported by the university’s Institute of Anthropology (IADC) Blended Learning app.
The final day featured the safeguarding research lab, showcasing international research and poster presentations.
Australia again sent a delegation drawn from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, dioceses, religious institutes and Australian Catholic Safeguarding Limited.
Australia’s ambassador to the Holy See, Keith Pitt, joined the delegates at the conference, underlining the diplomatic as well as ecclesial significance of the gathering.
The conference reaffirmed ACSL’s role as the national body coordinating Australia’s safeguarding standards and its growing international profile, strengthening ties with global safeguarding networks ahead of future ISC engagement.
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