Pope Leo XIV: Safeguarding minors is 'a challenge to the conscience of the Church'

Vatican, April 17, 2026: Pope Leo XIV has addressed a message to a gathering of the Italian Bishops' Conference focused on safeguarding minors, reaffirming the Church’s commitment to strengthening the protection of minors and vulnerable adults.

"The presence of the smallest and most vulnerable challenges the conscience of the Church and measures its ability to express authentic care."

Pope Leo XIV conveyed this in a message to attendees of the Second National Meeting of Local Representatives for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults, organised by the Italian Bishops' Conference.

Recognising and safeguarding every person and their dignity

In his letter, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the Pope observed that the theme, “Generating Authentic Relationships,” highlights a fundamental responsibility for Christian communities.

"When every person is recognised in their dignity and safeguarded in their freedom, parishes, associations, and movements are reliable and capable of accompanying, educating, and protecting," he said, adding that "where respect is lacking, relationships become impoverished, distorted, and may cause serious harm."

He explained that, within the Christian understanding, respect goes beyond mere correctness, describing it as "a demanding form of charity, expressed in safeguarding others without possessing them, accompanying them without dominating them, and serving them without humiliating them."

According to him, such respect makes possible relationships that are clear, mature, and secure.

"For this reason," he insisted, "protection cannot be understood merely as a set of rules to apply or procedures to follow: it requires wisdom that shapes the style of communities, the exercise of authority, the formation of educators, vigilance over contexts, and transparency of behaviour."

Challenge to the conscience of the Church

"The presence of the smallest and most vulnerable," Pope Leo insisted, "challenges the conscience of the Church and measures its ability to express authentic care—that is, to protect, to listen, to prevent, and to leave no one alone."

He further noted that "the work of those who promote formation, discernment, coordination, and good practices represents a precious contribution to the growth of more welcoming and aware communities."

He urged the Church to pay particular attention to survivors of abuse, recognising that "their wounds call for sincere proximity, humble listening, and perseverance in seeking what is right and possible for repair."

Need to accept demanding paths of truth, justice and healing

He stated that a Christian community lives out evangelical conversion "when it does not shield itself from the pain of those who have suffered, but allows itself to be questioned by it; when it does not minimise evil, but acknowledges it; when it does not close in fear of scandal, but accepts the demanding paths of truth, justice, and healing."

He emphasised that the meeting organised by the Italian Bishops' Conference "takes on a significance that goes beyond operational matters, calling the Church to grow in a culture of prevention that is, above all, a culture of evangelical care. This will also be supported by the performance presented in preview at your conference: “And I Will Care for You.”

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV encouraged participants to continue their efforts with confidence, "so that communities in the Italian dioceses may grow in which the most fragile are welcomed, protected, and loved."

Courtesy: Vatican News