“The function of these principles,” the commission said, “is to promote protection from abuse in the Church according to existing good practices in safeguarding, with a focus on assisting people impacted by abuse and the importance of dealing appropriately with instances of abuse.”
The guidelines have been distributed to the bishops’ conferences for feedback as well.
In 2024, the commission will release its first report on how the implementation of safeguarding guidelines is proceeding in some countries.
The commission will receive this information, going forward, directly from the local Churches during the quinquennial ad limina visit to Rome of the bishops’ conference.
The Catholic Church first began the process of establishing safeguarding guidelines around the world in 2011.
“It’s been a long time since 2011,” commission member Teresa Devlin said in an interview with Vatican News. “When Pope Francis gave a renewed mandate to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors last year, he asked us to look at developing supporting the implementation of new guidelines across the Church.”
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