Working together and learning from each other to fight abuse

By Anne Preckel

After four fruitful years filled with numerous activities dedicated to child protection, Australian Ambassador to the Holy See, Chiara Porro, is leaving her post in Rome.

On Thursday evening, during a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University, she advocated for effective safeguarding measures and cooperation between the Church and the State in the realm of child protection.

Ambassador Porro on learning from survivors

To implement child protection on a global level, it is essential to encourage local initiatives; the issue cannot be addressed solely at a central level. Special sensitivity toward those affected is also crucial: the diplomat highlighted that she herself had learned more about this topic from survivors. Porro also emphasized the importance of professional standards in handling abuse, transparency, collaboration with sector experts, and the pursuit of justice.

Just this week, Pope Francis announced the establishment of a Pontifical Committee for the World Day of Children, which will promote the World Day and the Church’s mission of advocating respect for the rights and dignity of children. In 2014, he established the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. In 2019, he organized an international conference on child protection in the Vatican, and the Pope has also advanced numerous legal and pastoral reforms to establish a culture of protection worldwide.

Archbishop Gallagher: wider cooperation needed

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, who introduced Thursday evening's conference, underscored that this also involves strengthening cooperation with civil authorities. The Catholic Church itself learns from this collaboration and encourages all peoples and states worldwide to address the issue to build a culture of care together. Gallagher stated, “The fact that people within and outside the Church are increasingly courageous in addressing and working on these issues and the truth is encouraging. This will help us move forward with the reforms we need to create—as the Holy Father says—a safe environment for children.”

Fr Zollner on significant progress in Australia

German Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, a former founding member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and director of the IADC Safeguarding Institute at the Pontifical Gregorian University, thanked Ambassador Porro for her commitment to child protection and for the fruitful collaboration with the IADC. The Australian Embassy to the Holy See, in particular, has been one of the most active national representations in this field over the past 15 years, the safeguarding expert praised, adding that it has actively promoted child protection even in Oceania. He noted that the Catholic Church in Australia has made significant progress in child protection, also thanks to the historic work of the independent Royal Commission, which presented a report on abuse in 2017.