VATICAN CITY (EFE).— Pope Leo XIV affirmed that in preventing abuse by members of the Church it is essential to listen to “the experiences of victims and survivors,” in his speech yesterday to the Vatican Commission for the Protection of Minors.
“Your mission is to help ensure that abuse is prevented. However, prevention is never just a set of protocols or procedures (…) Therefore, it requires a process of conversion in which the sufferings of others are heard and move us to act,” the Pope said.
And he added that in this sense, “the experiences of victims and survivors are essential reference points. Although they are certainly painful and difficult to hear, these experiences powerfully bring truth to light and teach us humility as we strive to help victims and survivors.”
Pope Leo XIV valued the annual report presented by this body established by his predecessor, Pope Francis, and indicated the need not to fall into “improvisation and superficiality when addressing the prevention of abuse.”
He also called for continuing to study “the concept of vulnerability in relation to abuse and the prevention of child abuse facilitated by technology in the digital space” because “they help the Church to bravely face the challenges of protection and respond with pastoral clarity and structural renewal.”
Leo XIV also assured that the efforts of the Commission for the Protection of Minors “is not simply the establishment of a formal process, but a sign of communion and shared responsibility” in the structure of the Catholic Church.
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Leo XIV will travel to four African countries with a religious, social and diplomatic agenda
Religious dialogue
During his stay in Algeria, Leo XIV will visit the Great Mosque of Algiers and promote rapprochement between Christians and Muslims. The Vatican seeks to strengthen interreligious dialogue in a Sunni-majority country with a small Catholic community. In addition, León will meet with authorities and representatives of civil society.
Social calendar
The itinerary includes visits to an orphanage, a psychiatric hospital and a prison, as well as meetings with young people and families. He will also participate in a prayer service for peace in areas marked by recent conflicts and violence in Africa. In Cameroon, Leo XIV will hold a community meeting focused on reconciliation and dialogue between communities affected by civil war in English-speaking regions, with local religious leaders.
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