VATICAN CITY (VATICAN CITY)
Holy See Press Office [Vatican City]
October 16, 2025
[See also the full text of the annual report.]
At 11.30 today, a press conference was held at the Holy See Press Office, Via della Conciliazione 54, to present the second Annual Report on Church Policies and Procedures for Safeguarding of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
The speakers were: Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry, bishop of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Tarentaise, chair of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors; Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, titular of Giubalziana, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors; Dr. Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, jurist, responsible for the Annual Report; and Professor Benyam Dawit Mezmur, jurist, member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
Teresa Morris Kettelkamp, assistant secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, was present.
The following are the interventions by Archbishop Thibault Verny and Dr. Maud de Boer-Buquicchio:
Intervention of Archbishop Thibault Verny
It is my honour to present the second annual report of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors as its new president.
As I mentioned when I was appointed on 5 July, I take on my new role with humility in view of the suffering and challenges involved, and also with gratitude to the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, for his trust. Allow me also to express my deep gratitude to His Eminence Cardinal Seán O’Malley. The Cardinal has led our Commission over the past ten years with determination, courage and sincerity at every step. I join our members and staff, past and present, in expressing our heartfelt thanks to him!
On behalf of our Commission, I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the victims and survivors who, for many years, have entrusted us with their experiences and placed their trust in us. This trust is a commitment for us: it is with gratitude that we have always sought to take their words into account and involve them in our mission. As you will see, this is a key point in the annual report we are presenting today.
By walking alongside victims and survivors, we have become deeply convinced that the path to a culture of protection is not simply for victims and survivors, but with them. This path of conversion requires us to be moved by what we hear. Therefore, the Commission is committed to saying to victims and survivors: “We want to be by your side”.
Finally, I would like to thank all everyone who is present today, including those following us online around the world. Your presence and attention to the Commission demonstrate the existence, importance and growth of a comprehensive approach to issues related to the protection of minors and vulnerable persons.
Committing to a mission of listening and to a broader approach to protection requires the Church to be professionally equipped and to follow clearly defined protection frameworks. Our measures for prevention and support for victims and survivors must be supported by stable, accessible structures that take trauma into account. This is the work of all the people of God, which is also part of our societies.
As requested by our Commission, the annual report is designed “to provide a reliable account of what is currently being done and what needs to change, so that the competent authorities can take action”. As such, the annual report is intended to be a tool that supports the Church’s mission of protection. It is important to note that the annual report takes subsidiarity into account. We wish to support ecclesiastical authorities – bishops, major superiors and lay leaders – in their missions, in strengthening means of protection and in promoting standards common to all cultures.
As a bishop and a baptized Christian, I know that when we report the truth by listening to victims and survivors, when we care for those who have been hurt by accompanying them, when we care for the most vulnerable by working for prevention, then we are at the heart of our mission and we are helping to make the Good News heard.
The second annual report presented to you today is the result of the work of an entire team. I would like to thank each of its authors for their energy, professionalism and results: in particular, Maud Buquicchio and Stefano Mattei, together with all the regional experts.
In each edition of the annual report, we share good practices, reflect on ongoing challenges and identify the changes that need to be made. In doing so, we aspire to make the Church ever more a protective home.
May this second annual report contribute to this goal with the help of all. Thank you.
Intervention of Dr. Maud Boer-Buquicchio
Today marks another decisive step forward in the Church’s journey towards transparency and accountability. With the release of our Second Annual Report we offer further guidance on fostering a culture of safeguarding. This work is rooted in Conversional Justice: a transformation of conscience and commitment, made evident through action.
It is my honor to speak to you as a Member of the Commission and Chair of the Annual Report Team. The Annual Report reflects the collective expertise of the Commission’s members and personnel – past and present. These are multi-disciplinary safeguarding professionals of the highest order. The Annual Report is the Commission’s best tool to share that knowledge with our key stakeholders and the public at large. This is crucial for our mandate to provide universal guidance in both prevention and response.
I wish to thank the media for its indispensable role in uplifting the voices of victims and survivors when the institutional Church has failed to listen. You serve as an irreplaceable ally. Thank you for being here today. Please continue your invaluable work as whistleblowers, in exposing abuse and demanding accountability.
Drawing from my experience at the Council of Europe and as UN Special Rapporteur I have learned that the impact of any report is determined by credible data and actionable recommendations.
Reliable data is at the heart of any accountability effort and its absence jeopardises our fight against the sexual abuse of children. That is why our Commission set out to devise a progressive methodology that presents increasingly verifiable data and practical guidance. In doing so, the Commission — for its part – is also contributing to addressing the global gap in data on sexual violence against children. I noted this global data gap in 2018 as UN Special Rapporteur and I bring attention to it again today, in the specific context of the Church. It is alarming!
Our first report published last year — and the feedback we received — taught us the importance of broader inclusiveness in its preparation. This includes victims/survivors, the Church entities that we accompany, and organizations fully external to the Church.
Allow me to start with our inclusion of victims and survivors in this Annual Report. Listening to victims and survivors is the first step towards realizing a safer Church for our children. We owe an honest response to the countless victims and survivors — known and unknown — who have had the courage to sound the alarm on abuse, despite unimaginable obstacles. This Annual Report is a testament to the substantive role they have in the Commission’s work.
In our first report, published last year, we implemented a pilot Focus Group methodology in one of our regions. This was designed to ensure a victim-centered approach to the Annual Report, from its earliest developments. When we presented the pilot, the Commission openly recognized the need to give a much broader representation to this most important population. With the Second Annual Report, we have expanded the initial Focus Group to all four of our regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia-Oceania and Europe. The process included individual listening sessions — guided by trained professionals — with approximately 40 victim/survivor participants from around the world.
Detailed findings from these direct consultations are summarized in a dedicated section of this Report. However, I want to highlight one of the most consistent points that emerged: victims/survivors want to feel heard and validated in their experiences. As one participant said: “Taking victims/survivors at their word should be the default position”.
Their testimony especially provided input into our work on the concept of reparations. We have been able to compile an operational vademecum as the result of our study into this important pillar of Conversional Justice. We offer this as a practical tool to guide the Church. Our study clearly revealed that the Church must expand its understanding of reparations beyond financial compensation alone. A truly comprehensive approach to reparations includes: (1) welcome, listening and care; (2) public and private communications and apologies; (3) spiritual and psychotherapeutic support; (4) financial support; (5) institutional and disciplinary reforms; and (6) safeguarding initiatives across the ecclesial community. As one of our Focus Group participants stated: “They offered me $20,000, but all I wanted was an apology”. While only one individual’s perspective, I quote this participant’s testimony to stress the importance of dynamic and customized reparations to be responsive to victims’/survivors’ needs.
This Annual Report also develops a methodology using the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s database to flag and quote any reference to safeguarding or abuse in the Catholic Church. My colleague Professor Benyam Mezmur is best placed to describe this reporting mechanism in greater detail, given his first-hand experience as a member of that distinguished UN body.
In brief, this addition to the methodology for Section 1 allows us to present findings from the Committee’s review of individual countries, directly alongside our data from the bishops’ conferences in those same countries. This allows us to cross-reference our internal data with an independent and external source. This represents an important improvement in our data verification.
This Annual Report also further leverages the Church’s remarkable institutional architecture for its data collection. Called to closely accompany the local Churches — while also bringing a non-native viewpoint — the Apostolic Nuncios are uniquely positioned to provide a profoundly insightful perspective on the safeguarding challenges faced in a given country. This year, the Commission solicited input from the Apostolic Nunciatures in each of the countries covered in Section 1.
We are grateful to all those Church entities who committed to our Annual Report methodology with integrity and sincerity. Our synodal journey together has already been mutually enriching. I believe the document we publish today is reflective of that.
Amidst these positive developments in our methodology, we recommit ourselves to continuous improvement, knowing that we still fall short of a fully mature reporting instrument.
The Annual Report is an empowering tool for those who hope to join the growing choir of the Church’s safeguarding ministry. I ask you to engage in earnest with this text in the weeks and months to come. Let us grow in numbers and dedication, to usher in a true culture of care.
Today and in the days to come, I invite us to place ourselves in the shoes of children all around the world, yearning and deserving to be safe and cherished. A child’s sense of safety begins when we listen with our heart, not just our ears.
Let us walk together as children of the living God and not get weary.