Pope Leo XIV urges the Church to uphold a “culture of care,” calling the protection of minors fundamental to its mission and life.
Newsroom (16/03/2026 Gaudium Press ) Addressing the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on Monday at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV delivered a clear message: ensuring the protection and safety of minors is not optional—it is central to the Church’s identity and mission.
“The prevention of abuse,” he said, “is not 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.”
The Pope’s remarks, both pastoral and programmatic, reaffirmed the global Church’s continuing commitment to transparency, accountability, and conversion in confronting the wounds of past abuse.
A mission “essential for the life of the Church”
Thanking the Pontifical Commission for its ongoing service, Pope Leo described its work as “a demanding service, sometimes silent, often burdensome, but one which is essential for the life of the Church and for building an authentic culture of care.”
He recalled that Pope Francis had permanently placed the Commission within the Roman Curia — a move underscoring that safeguarding is integral to the Church’s mission, not a discretionary undertaking. It is, he said, “a constitutive dimension of the mission of the Church.”
Listening to victims as a path to renewal
Central to Pope Leo’s address was the insistence that the Church’s conversion begins with listening — truly hearing the experiences of victims and survivors. Their testimonies, he said, “bring the truth to light and teach us humility as we strive to assist victims and survivors.”
This acknowledgment, while painful, is what opens a “credible path for hope and renewal.” The Pope encouraged Commission members to accompany local Churches and ensure that every community has concrete ways to listen to and support those who have suffered abuse.
Transparency, prudence, and hope
Pope Leo also praised the Commission’s Annual Report as a “tool of great importance,” describing it as an exercise in “truth and responsibility, as well as in hope and prudence.” Such transparency, he said, must go hand in hand with serious discernment to avoid superficial or improvised responses.
He further emphasized that the accountability of bishops, religious superiors, and Church leaders “cannot be delegated.” Responsibility, he insisted, must take visible, local, and practical form.
Expanding safeguarding in the digital age
Recognizing emerging threats, Pope Leo singled out two key areas for deeper study: understanding “vulnerability” in relation to abuse and addressing the growing issue of technology-facilitated abuse of minors. These rapidly evolving challenges, he said, require close collaboration among Church institutions, civil society, and experts in child protection.
Toward the Universal Guidelines Framework
Looking to the future, the Pope expressed gratitude to the Commission for its work developing the Universal Guidelines Framework — a comprehensive plan for safeguarding practices across the Church worldwide.
He said he eagerly awaits the final proposal, which will undergo study and discernment before publication. This effort, he stressed, is “not simply the establishment of a formal process but a sign of communion and shared responsibility.”
A dimension that permeates every aspect of Church life
Pope Leo concluded with a powerful reminder that safeguarding cannot be limited to policy or bureaucracy. “The protection of minors and persons in vulnerable situations,” he said, “is not an isolated area of ecclesial life, but a dimension that permeates pastoral care, formation, governance, and discipline.”
Through his call to foster a “culture of care,” Pope Leo XIV situates safeguarding not on the periphery of ecclesial life but at its very heart—an essential measure of the Church’s fidelity to its mission and its witness to the Gospel.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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