Dear brothers and sisters,

I greet all of you who have gathered for the Conference on Safeguarding in the Catholic Church in Europe, devoted to the vital mission of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults within the Church. Your commitment to this cause is a sign of the Church’s continuing efforts to protect the most vulnerable in our midst.

As you come together from over twenty European countries, some of which are facing the challenges of war and conflict, I am reminded of our Christian vocation to be peacemakers and to care for our brothers and sisters in need. Your presence is thus an eloquent witness to a unity and solidarity that transcends all borders.

The dialogue and exchanges in your Conference offer promising opportunities for a fuller understanding and deeper commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults within the Church. It is my hope that your efforts to establish a network of people and good practices will provide a much-needed forum for sharing knowledge, supporting one another, and for ensuring that programmes of protection are both effective and sustainable. In a particular way, I encourage the initiatives made to provide comfort and assistance to those who have suffered, as a sign of the Church’s concern for justice, healing and reconciliation.

With the assurance of my prayers that the Conference will be a source of fruitful insights, and that your deliberations will contribute to a safer and more compassionate Church, I invoke upon all of you the Holy Spirit’s gifts of wisdom and strength, and send you my Blessing.

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 13 November 2024                                               

                                                                                Francis