The Second Annual Report on the Policies and Procedures of the Church by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors marks a new milestone in the Church’s global journey towards truth, justice and reparation. The document explores the theme of “Conversional Justice”, with particular attention to reparation as the responsibility of the Church to “accompany victims/survivors in their journey of healing and repair”. The Commission notes that the study “gathered insights from the local Churches’ existing practices of reparations and the persistent challenges to making comprehensive reparation”, and that the contributions of the victims’ Focus Group offered “essential insights”, thanks to “direct input from victims/survivors”.
Vademecum and recommendations
The operational core of the Report is the study dedicated to reparations, which identifies six key areas:
Welcome, listen, and care, communications: public and private apologies, spiritual and psychotherapeutic support, financial support, institutional and disciplinary reforms, and safeguarding initiatives in the ecclesial community.
In this regard, the commission emphasizes “The importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence, as well as the need to “publicly communicating the reasons for resignation and/or removal, when the decision is related to cases of abuse or negligence”, with due regard for “principles related to privacy and the presumption of innocence”. One of the main recommendations is also “developing a systematic and mandatory reporting mechanism on the safeguarding ministry of the local Churches”.
Global experiences and good practices
The international outlook reveals the path of a Church that is growing through shared responsibility. The report cites “a wide range of existing practices and challenges related to reparations in the Church”, mentioning that “parts of the Church in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania demonstrate important commitments to reparations”, while many regions “are still lacking adequate dedicated resources to victim/survivor accompaniment”.
Positive experiences include a traditional communal healing practice in Tonga, known as Hu Louifi, detailed annual reporting on victim/accompaniment services in the United States and safeguarding guideline review processes under way in Kenya, Malawi, and Ghana
With regard to Europe, the document also mentions the “notable truth-telling report, Il coraggio di guardare, in the Italian Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone”.
Italy: a growing network
Italy, in particular, is acknowledged as a dynamic and evolving reality. The Report mentions 226 dioceses, 16 regional conferences, seven of which were met with in the first quarter of 2024, and notes
“A genuine commitment by CEI – from the structure of the Protection Services to the National Council established in October 2024 to integrate networks and skills.”
At the same time, the Commission recognizes “the need to strengthen data collection and analysis to enable more reliable comparisons between ecclesial realities and the general population”. It emphasizes that “welcoming listening centers”, “professional psychological support” and “involving victims/survivors in the development of protection policies and procedures” are essential elements in consolidating the path to growth.
Memorare and financial transparency
Among the most recent initiatives, the Commission cites “Memorare” as a safeguarding capacity-building initiative in the local Churches of the Global South. The Report states that as of today, “the Commission currently has 20 agreements in place for local Memorare Initiatives around the world, with another dozen under negotiation”.
The concluding pages present the financial report, which provides an overview of the Commission’s activities and the support received from its donors, with the aim to ensure transparency and public accountability. The Commission concludes that the guiding principle of its service is “to accompany the ministry of safeguarding in the universal Church” in a perspective of justice, conversion and renewed trust.
