On 16 April, the Vatican issued a message from Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of the second national meeting of local representatives of the Italian Bishops’ Conference for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults. It is being held in Rome on 16-18 April under the theme “Building Authentic Relationships”.
In his message, addressed to Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, and signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, the Holy Father warned that the lack of respect for and recognition of the dignity of each person “can lead to grave harm.”
He explained that respect is “a demanding form of charity, expressed in protecting others without possessing them, supporting them without dominating them, and serving them without humiliating them.”
He explained that the protection of minors and vulnerable adults “cannot be understood simply as a set of rules to be applied or procedures to be followed” but requires a knowledge “that shapes the style of communities, the exercise of authority, the formation of teachers, vigilance on contexts and transparency of behavior.”
For the Holy Father, the presence of the youngest and most vulnerable “challenges the conscience of the Church and measures its capacity to express authentic care.”
Leo XIV urged that special attention be paid to those who suffered abuse. “Their wounds,” he said, “require honest closeness, humble listening, and perseverance in finding what is right and possible for repair.”
The Pope emphasized that a Christian community embraces evangelical conversion “when it does not protect itself from the pain of those who suffer, but allows itself to be interrogated by it; when it does not minimize evil but accepts it; when it does not close in on itself for fear of slander, but rather accepts the demanding paths of truth, justice and healing.”
According to the Pontiff, the meeting being held in Rome reminds the Church of the need to “evolve into a culture of prevention, which is, above all, a culture of evangelical care.”
Finally, she encouraged participants to continue their work with confidence, “that communities can grow in which the most fragile are welcomed, protected and loved.”
this story was first published By ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language affiliate of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
