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The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors with the support of key Vatican Dicasteries held its first ever three day international workshop, titled “Building Communities that Safeguard Dignity.” It gathers religious Institutes and Conferences of Consecrated Life from all continents at Palazzo Maffei Marescotti in Rome. President Verny stated: "Protection is not a local task, but a universal commitment of the Church." The meeting, in preparation for the third annual report, involved 40 religious communities.
Religious life and the challenge of building communities that safeguard the dignity of consecrated women and men and those they serve is the focus.
Participants represented a wide range of charisms and contexts from Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas – expressing the global dimension of safeguarding and the shared desire to strengthen prevention within consecrated life.
Representatives of three Dicasteries – the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Dicastery for Evangelization, and the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches – were present, marking the Church’s unified commitment to creating environments where every person is protected and where safeguarding is embraced as a common responsibility.
Among the participants are continental and intercontinental Conferences and Unions of Religious. These organizations play a crucial role in supporting religious Institutes on questions of formation, governance, and safeguarding; they accompany communities facing similar pastoral and cultural contexts and create shared approaches to prevention.
Their presence offers the workshop a broader, transnational perspective, showing how safeguarding challenges – though lived locally – require coordinated and collaborative responses.
Some Conferences take part despite being engaged in very important moments of their own institutional life. The Conference of Religious in France (CORREF), for example, is currently gathered in Lourdes for its general assembly, yet its president will contribute from a distance.
This participation, even amid intense commitments, reflects a deep sense of responsibility and the urgency of continued work on abuse prevention. During the workshop, CORREF will share insights from the sociological research it is preparing to present at its assembly, offering participants a preview of data and perspectives on the current state of consecrated life in France and the implications for safeguarding and community well-being.
A Space for Shared Understanding and Honest Dialogue
From its opening, the workshop is designed as an environment of attentive listening and mutual learning. Participants will explore the realities shaping religious life today – from intercultural cohabitation and demographic change to formation needs and expanding pastoral responsibilities – and consider how safeguarding can strengthen community life and credible witness.
Safeguarding will be approached not simply as the implementation of norms, but as a way of nurturing healthier relationships, ensuring responsible leadership, and supporting the most vulnerable members of communities.
This reflection will not be limited to protecting minors alone. The workshop will also consider how safeguarding structures and practices can help address situations of vulnerability in adult life within the Church, recognizing that adults in consecrated life can experience dynamics of dependence, isolation, or imbalance of authority that require attention, accompaniment, and preventive systems.
Throughout the workshop, participants will reflect on practical tools for abuse prevention: shared guidelines, formation practices, responsible structures of authority, and the use of the Commission’s Annual Report to identify strengths and vulnerabilities.
The programme helps communities integrate safeguarding into daily life – how they welcome new members, support fragile individuals, accompany ministries, and cultivate environments marked by respect and accountability.
Research, spirituality, and lived experience will contribute to this reflection, showing how effective prevention requires both robust structures and a deep commitment to human and relational maturity.
Accompanying Institutes Toward the Annual Report: A Synodal Path
The workshop also marks an important stage in the journey toward the third edition of the Annual Report, to be published next year. In the months ahead, the Commission will accompany Institutes and Conferences in a synodal manner, fostering regular dialogue, shared discernment, and ongoing support.
This process will help communities take practical steps to improve their safeguarding systems, report realistically on their progress, and deepen prevention across formation houses, apostolic ministries, and contemplative environments.
Looking Ahead
The workshop will conclude with a joint session involving Dicasteries, gathering insights and identifying shared priorities for the coming months.
As this first day begins, the Commission expresses its gratitude for the dedication of all participants – those present and those contributing from a distance – and reaffirms its commitment to walking alongside religious life in building communities where every person is safeguarded and where dignity remains at the center of mission.
https://www.tutelaminorum.org/commission-opens-first-international-workshop-on-religious-life-building-communities-that-safeguard-dignity/
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