Safeguarding begins with Theology
of Childhood
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| Children attending Mass on Sunday in the Dominican Republic (AFP) |
Several organizations team up to present a series of
webinars directed toward raising awareness of the ongoing need to safeguard
children, youth and vulnerable adults.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp
Four organizations are together presenting a “Safeguarding
Webinar Series”. The series is the initiative of the International Union of
Superiors General (UISG), with the collaboration of the Pontifical Commission
for the Protection of Minors (PCPM), the Centre for Child Protection of the
Gregorian University and Telefono Azzurro in Italy.
The first webinar in the series takes place on Monday 8
June, 2:00-3:30pm CEST. It’s theme is “Safeguarding children, youth and
vulnerable adults and the need for a consistent theology of childhood”,
presented by Sr Nuala Kenny of the Sisters of Charity of Halifax.
Safeguarding webinars fruit of collaboration
According to PCPM Project Manager Emer McCarthy, as of
Thursday, 5 June, 400 people “from Guatemala to Burkina Faso to Sri Lanka, a
wonderful array of nationalities” had already signed up for the first webinar.
Two days later, registration closed due to an additional 330 registrations. In
addition to the possibility of live participation in the webinar, both
the UISG and the PCPM will
be streaming the event on line for all who were unable to register.
Speaking to Vatican News, Emer explained that this series of
webinars is the fruit of an ongoing collaboration with UISG and their male
counterpart. The PCPM is principally focused on directing their efforts toward
the safeguarding of children. Many children benefit from the ministry of men
and women religious in schools, child care centers, hospitals and other
structures throughout the world. “Men and women religious really are on the
front lines of caring for children and vulnerable people in our Church”, Emer
confirmed. The ongoing collaboration “came to an abrupt halt” because of the
pandemic, she said. The webinar series was created as a response to the concern
of Members of the PCPM “to keep safeguarding awareness alive during the
pandemic, given the increased risks” experienced by children and vulnerable
persons due to lockdown restrictions.
Theology of Children
The topic of the first webinar will target the “need for a
consistent theology of childhood”. “It’s highly significant”, Emer states. The
need for developing a consistent theology of childhood in the Church is a
conclusion reached by people at all levels of the Church, she says: catechists,
local bishops as well as Presidents of Bishops’ Conferences. While individual
theologians have begun to research and write articles on the subject, Emer says
there still is no “core text”. “We really need one to underpin why you need to
safeguard children, why we as the Church, why we as Christians and Catholics,
are called to place children in our midst as Christ did.” One of Sr Nuala
Kenny’s messages, she continues, is that part of Jesus’s countercultural
message is that He “put the children front and center”.
Progress after Meeting on the Protection of Minors
When asked what progress has been made since the February
2019 Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Vatican, and what still needs
to be done, Emer acknowledged the Taskforce created in February 2020 and the
legislation established through Vos estis lux mundi. In terms of
what still needs to be done, she quoted one of the PCPM Members, a father of
five children and a psychologist, who says, “we can never become complacent.”
“Safeguarding and safeguarding awareness is not just something you do with your
head. You have to do it with your heart. You have to accept that this is
something that is an integral part of our mission.”
Safeguarding requires confersion
Safeguarding, Emer clarifies, “involves a conversion, that
can only come about when people are confronted with the absence of
safeguarding”. This requires listening to “those who bear the horrible
consequences” of sexual abuse by a member of the clergy. Their stories manifest
this “absence of safeguarding” and, therefore, indicate what needs to be done
to safeguard others. Listening to them is one of the primary mandates of the
PCPM. Through the PCPM, their voices have reached higher levels of leadership in
the Church. “We can never be complacent”, Emer repeated. “We can make
progress with laws, with norms, with structures. But until the people who are
actually working with children and vulnerable people in the Church understand
the practical implications of what being aware of safeguarding is, then we can
never say we have solved the problem.”
Upcoming webinars
June 18 11:30 CEST – Fr. Hans Zollner SJ “Safeguarding
online in times of lockdown”
June 30 11:30 CEST – Dr. Gabriel Dy-Liacco “Victimology and the Relational Safety Model”
July 6 11:30 CEST – Prof. Caffo “Care for children after lockdown - how has the pandemic altered our relationships?”
June 30 11:30 CEST – Dr. Gabriel Dy-Liacco “Victimology and the Relational Safety Model”
July 6 11:30 CEST – Prof. Caffo “Care for children after lockdown - how has the pandemic altered our relationships?”
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