(PHILIPPINES)
Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News) [Hong Kong]
October 27, 2025
The mission should be accepted as a sacred responsibility, says Vatican official
Pope Leo and Vatican officials have urged Catholic leaders across Asia to adopt a “zero tolerance” stance on abuse and urged them to strengthen measures to protect minors and vulnerable adults.
The appeal came during the first National Safeguarding Conference, held in the Catholic-majority Philippines from Oct. 20–24, with more than 300 bishops, religious superiors, and lay experts in attendance.
Pope Leo, in a message to the conference, reiterated that “there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church,” urging delegates to promote transparency and accountability in safeguarding policies.
“The Church is our spiritual home. Every parish and pastoral activity must be a space that glorifies God and cares for others, especially children and the vulnerable,” the pope said, according to Vatican News.
The conference, titled “Our Mission of Safeguarding: A Journey of Hope and Compassion,” was organized jointly by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, the Conference of Major Superiors of the Philippines, and the Catholic Safeguarding Institute based in Manila.
Bishop Luis Manuel Ali Herrera, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, told Church leaders to approach safeguarding “not out of fear or obligation, but as a sacred responsibility rooted in virtue and conversion.”
From policy to practice
“Accept this mission not as a burden imposed from outside, but as a pastoral urgency to be lived with authenticity,” the Colombian bishop said, according to the News website of the Philippine bishops.
Herrera called for a shift “from policy to practice,” urging dioceses to establish independent reporting systems, adopt trauma-informed formation programs, and collaborate with civil authorities and survivor groups.
“We must move from intention to implementation,” he said. “Clear governance structures, regular evaluations, and transparent communication are essential.”
He also warned of growing digital risks, calling on the Church to develop robust online safeguarding protocols.
Bishop Herrera emphasized that child protection is “a shared moral imperative,” not limited to Church institutions. “Families, communities, governments, and religious traditions must unite to uphold human dignity,” he said.
He urged Church and civil society leaders to work together so that “parishes and schools become sanctuaries of safety.”
“Protection is a sign of conversion,” Herrera said. “It marks the journey from silence to truth, from denial to justice, from fear to hope.”
Coleen Rae Ramirez-Panahon, scientific director of the Catholic Safeguarding Institute, said the landmark conference underscored that safeguarding “is a mission shared by all.”
“In the past, this issue might have remained in the shadows and been seen as the responsibility of only a few,” she said. Ensuring effective protection, she added, requires the “conversion and commitment of wider communities.”