Pope Leo: Safeguarding minors 'is a mandate' for the Church

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

“The encounter with Christ marks us in a positive way and leads us toward a life full of love and freedom, whereas situations of abuse do the opposite, causing traumatic wounds that condition and diminish the spiritual and human development of the person.”

Pope Leo made these remarks before his General Audience on Wednesday to members of the Centro de Investigación y Formación de Protección al Menor (“Center for Research and Training on Protection of Minors”), a Latin American interdisciplinary organization focused on preventing abuse and promoting child protection.

He said he was pleased to welcome representatives from different Latin American nations, but with a very clear common goal: working so that ecclesial communities may be safe places for everyone, especially children, adolescents, and the most vulnerable people.

Pope Leo stressed to them his wish that "all spaces in the Church, whether physical or virtual, may truly be places for a fruitful encounter with Jesus Christ, free from fears, suspicions, or distrust.”

The need for safe spaces

“Thank you for being here and for carrying out this very important task.”

The Holy Father invited them to consider how the first disciples, from the moment they encountered Jesus Christ, were captivated—a moment that marked their lives and led them to begin a path of conversion, to the point of giving themselves to Him without reserve.

That experience, he observed, is not something of the past, for all people are called to encounter the Risen Lord and have a true experience of love with the Lord.

But to achieve this, Pope Leo underscored, “it is necessary that we have safe spaces.”

Abuse, the Pope decried, causes immense trauma and disrupts a person’s spiritual and human development.

Jesus called for the protection of the little ones

It is with the Lord’s own warning, the Pope said, that the Center founded its mission, “responding to Christ’s call when He warns about the need to take care not to become a cause of scandal for the little ones (cf. Mt 18:6).”

The Holy Father recalled that during his Apostolic Journey to Spain last week, he spoke to the Bishops about the pain of those who have been wounded by those who should have cared for them, calling them situations before which “the ecclesial community is called to respond with listening, truth, justice, reparation, and an ever more determined commitment to prevention and a culture of care.”

A mandate for the entire Church

“This task, although primarily the responsibility of those of us called to be pastors,” Pope Leo insisted, “is a mandate for everyone in the Church, and some, like you, have taken it on even in the professional sphere.”

Pope Leo thanked those present, and at the same time encouraged them “to continue forward with this great work, strengthening networks of collaboration between local Churches and civil institutions, promoting a culture of prevention and care for the most vulnerable.”

Finally, the Holy Father entrusted their efforts to the Blessed Mother so that they may continue working for this mission and so that, more and more, the entire ecclesial community may become involved in it, and he imparted his Apostolic Blessing.