Pope Francis has encouraged the members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to continue their work so that every child or vulnerable person may find “a safe environment” in the Catholic Church. This was in a message signed while he was still hospitalized — on March 20, 2025 — and made public on March 25.
Writing to members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Francis emphasizes the Church's responsibility towards the vulnerable and victims.
“Abuse prevention is not a blanket to be spread over emergencies, but one of the foundations on which to build communities faithful to the Gospel,” wrote the Pope. He wrote the message on the occasion of the plenary assembly of the commission, which is being held from March 24 to 28.
The origin and nature of the commission
This commission was set up in 2014 by Pope Francis in the wake of the reforms initiated by Benedict XVI to combat sexual abuse in the Church. It is composed of lay people, clergy, and religious. The commission’s goal is to support the institution of the Church, in Rome and in all the dioceses of the world, in order to better protect minors and vulnerable adults.
“Your work cannot be reduced to protocols to be applied, since it advocates for safeguarding through a formation that educates, measures that prevent, and listening that restores dignity,” the Pope emphasizes in his message.
With these preventive practices, “you are making a promise: that every child, every vulnerable person, will find a safe environment in the ecclesial community,” continues the head of the Catholic Church, who calls for “an integral conversion” in this area.
Pope Francis has entrusted three commitments to the members of the commission chaired by Cardinal Sean O'Malley since its foundation. He asks them to collaborate better with the entities of the Roman Curia, known for being compartmentalized and reluctant to share information.
He urges them to “offer hospitality and care for the spiritual wounds of victims and survivors.” Finally, the Pope invites them to “build partnerships with entities outside the Church,” such as civil authorities, experts, and associations. The aim is that “safeguarding may become a universal language,” he concludes.
The commission’s first report
Last October, after two years of work, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors published its first report on the state of the fight against abuse in the Catholic Church.
This 95-page document — which doesn’t give any figures on the number of victims or clergy members who have committed sexual abuse — gives the impression that procedures are being implemented slowly in some regions. There also seems to be a lack of transparency in the handling of cases, particularly in Rome.
