Pope Leo XIV: Protecting minors is essential for life of the Church

Vatican City, March 17, 2026: Addressing the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Pope Leo XIV encouraged their efforts to prevent abuse within the Church, stressing that this responsibility must be addressed concretely and not delegated, in order to build a “culture of care.”

“Your mission is to help ensure that abuse is prevented. Yet prevention is never just a set of protocols or procedures. It is about helping to form, throughout the Church, a culture of care, in which the protection of minors and persons in vulnerable situations is not seen as an obligation imposed from outside, but as a natural expression of faith.”

Pope Leo XIV emphasised this during his address to the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on Monday at the Vatican, expressing appreciation for their work in safeguarding children, adolescents, and vulnerable individuals.

“It is a demanding service, sometimes silent, often burdensome, but one which,” Pope Leo said, “is essential for the life of the Church and for the building of an authentic culture of care.”

Not optional

Pope Leo recalled that Pope Francis had placed the Commission permanently within the Roman Curia “to remind the whole Church that the prevention of abuse is not an optional task, but a constitutive dimension of the mission of the Church.”

With this perspective, the Holy Father noted that a path of conversion must continue, where listening to the suffering of others inspires action, and where the experiences of victims and survivors remain central reference points.

Although such experiences are painful and difficult to hear, Pope Leo acknowledged that “these experiences powerfully bring the truth to light and teach us humility as we strive to assist victims and survivors.” He added that recognising the pain endured opens a credible path towards hope and renewal.

The Pope also urged the Commission to learn from its role within the Roman Curia, collaborate with it, and contribute its own insights to enrich it.

Transparent tools

In this context, Pope Leo observed that the Commission’s Annual Report holds significant importance, since “it represents an exercise in truth and responsibility, as well as in hope and prudence, which must go hand in hand for the good of the Church.”

On maintaining this balance, he noted that hope keeps discouragement at bay, while prudence guards against improvisation and superficial responses in addressing abuse prevention.

The Pope also stressed that the responsibility of Ordinaries and Major Superiors cannot be delegated.

Concrete expressions

Highlighting that listening to victims and accompanying them “must find concrete expression in every ecclesial community and institution,” the Holy Father encouraged Commission members to continue serving as a resource, ensuring that no Church community feels isolated in this responsibility, and supporting local Churches, especially where resources or expertise are limited.

Pope Leo said he looks forward to receiving further details in their third Annual Report regarding the progress achieved so far, as well as areas where further development is needed.

The Holy Father also noted that the Commission’s engagement with the Church at all levels, along with victims, survivors, their families, and civil society partners, has led to deeper study in two rapidly evolving safeguarding areas: the concept of vulnerability in relation to abuse and the prevention of technology-facilitated abuse of minors in digital spaces.

Universal Guidelines Framework

Pope Leo thanked the Commission for helping the Church confront safeguarding challenges with courage and respond through pastoral clarity and structural renewal, particularly through the development of a Universal Guidelines Framework.

In this regard, the Pope said he looks forward to receiving the final proposal so that, after appropriate study and discernment, it may be published. He reiterated that their work shows the Commission’s mission “is not simply the establishment of a formal process but a sign of communion and shared responsibility.”

“Let me reiterate,” Pope Leo XIV concluded, “that the protection of minors and persons in vulnerable situations is not an isolated area of ecclesial life, but a dimension that permeates pastoral care, formation, governance, and discipline.”

Courtesy: Vatican News