Hello and welcome!

This past week I was in Rome for meetings of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

This time, we held our meeting at the Domus Internationalis Paulus VI, (formerly called the Casa del Clero), which is right near the Piazza Navona and the Gregorian University. The meeting room we had was just spectacular.

On Monday, the Holy See released this summary of our activities for the week, which I thought was quite comprehensive.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has had seven full days of meetings in Rome. Meetings of the six Working Groups focused on updates for current projects, and developing and drafting proposals. Outside collaborators who assisted the Working Groups included the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development (CAFOD), and an expert in Penal Canon Law. Draft proposals were presented to the Plenary Assembly for further discussion and decision about policies to propose to the Holy Father. Policies endeavor to recognize the diversity of information and guidance currently available to the Church around the world.

Examples of proposals being finalized for Pope Francis’ consideration include: a request for him to remind all authorities in the Church of the importance of responding directly to victims and survivors who approach them; the finalization of a Universal Day of Prayer and a penitential liturgy.

Workshops on the legal aspects of the Protection of Minors to establish more transparency around canonical trials, with participation of external collaborators, are planned for later in the year and a report and recommendations will be provided at the next Plenary Assembly. A website is also being developed to share Best Practice for the Protection of Minors around the world.

In order to fulfill the mission of the Holy Father’s Chirograph for the Institution of the Commission to promote local responsibility, Commission members are actively in contact with numerous Bishops Conferences, and members of the Commission have presented to Religious Conferences and Congregations on safeguarding minors.

Over the past year or so, Commission members have met with Bishops and child protection authorities in: Philippines, Austria, Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Scotland, Poland, Central America (in Costa Rica), United States National Safe Environment (SECs) and Victims Assistance Coordinators (VACs). As an outcome of the workshop conducted by members of the Commission last August in the Philippines, the Philippine Bishops’ Conference created a child safeguarding office and Pastoral Exhortation on the pastoral care and protection of minors.

A meeting is planned in March in Ghana with Secretaries General of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), and a second meeting with child protection practitioners drawn from the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) in Tanzania. Commission members are also attending the Anglophone Safeguarding Conference in Rome and the United States National Safe Environment and Victims Assistance Coordinators 2016. In 2017 the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) has requested a workshop with Commission members.

The Commission likewise welcomes the recent announcement that in a week’s time the first course offering a diploma in the Safeguarding of Minors at the Pontifical Gregorian University will start with 19 participants from four continents: Africa, Europe, America and Asia.

The September 2016 meeting of the Commission will have a strategic focus on safeguarding minors in Catholic schools, and will invite contributions from experts in Latin America, England and Wales.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors was created by Pope Francis in March of 2014. The Chirograph of His Holiness Pope Francis states specifically, “The Commission’s specific task is to propose to me the most opportune initiatives for protecting minors and vulnerable adults, in order that we may do everything possible to ensure that crimes such as those which have occurred are no longer repeated in the Church. The Commission is to promote local responsibility in the particular Churches, uniting their efforts to those of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the protection of all children and vulnerable adults.

The work of the commission is very challenging. Many people do not understand that our task is to advise the Holy Father and to promote effective policies for child protection among the bishops conferences and to carry on educational programs preparing people to be involved in child protection. Instead, many people think that we are set up to review cases that were poorly handled in the past or to denounce particular cases. There are other bodies charged with that.

We have had a number of meetings with bishops conferences in different parts the world. As I wrote about here, I was in Central America a few months ago. We have two women religious on the commission from Africa and they will be meeting in Africa with the Secretaries General of bishops conferences there.

During our time together I celebrated Mass with the commission at St. Peter’s.

In our next meeting will be discussing policies for Catholic schools. There are about 200,000 Catholic schools in the world with millions of students. So, obviously, we want to be able to focus on the importance of child protection policies in our Catholic schools systems.

With Father Bob Oliver and Teresa Kettelkamp

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Also Monday and Tuesday we had meetings of the G-9 council of cardinals with the Holy Father.

This time we focused on the final proposals to create two new Vatican departments, called dicasteries, “Laity, family and life”, and “Justice, Peace and Migration.” We have now handed those proposals to the Holy Father.

We also spent time discussing the Holy Father’s discourse on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops that he gave during the Synod on the Family last October. The Holy Father spoke on the themes of “synodality” and a “sound decentralization” and those are, of course, issues very much related to our work of reforming the Curia.

During the session, I had a chance to report on the activities of the Commission for the Protection of Minors and Cardinal Pell reported on the status and implementation of reforms in the economic field.

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While I was in Rome, the relics of St. Padre Pio and St. Leopoldo were brought from Padua and San Giovanni Rotondo to the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Rome, which the Capuchin Friars staff. The relics were venerated there for a few days and then brought in solemn procession to St. Peter’s Basilica.

There was spectacular weather and many thousands of people were there to venerate the relics and pass through the Holy Door. The crowd was very intergenerational – young and old – and drawn from all over Italy, as well as some international visitors.

As you can see in the pictures, at times the crowd extended from the altar in St. Peter’s all the way down to the Tiber River, the whole length of the piazza and down the Via della Conciliazione.

It was a very moving experience to see the piety and the devotion of the people.

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The Holy Father celebrated Mass on Shrove Tuesday for the Capuchin Friars. About 1,100 friars attended the Mass and the Father General and myself were principal concelebrants with the Holy Father.

It was a very profound experience for me. I have never been at a gathering of so many friars in my life — and probably never will be again.

The Holy Father gave a beautiful homily in which he focused very much on confession. He also spoke about Fra Cristoforo, a Capuchin priest who is a character in “I promessi sposi”, (“The Betrothed”) one of the great works of Italian literature.

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Also on Tuesday, I happened to see some of the Missionaries of Mercy, priests from different areas of the world especially appointed by the Holy Father to preach on mercy and forgiveness during the Jubilee Year. They were on their way to a celebration in the Sala Regia at the Vatican.

From our archdiocese we have Father Derek Borek from Immaculate Conception in Stoughton (carrying the cross for the English-speaking groups).

And Father Paul Helfrich, in this photo on the far left.

They had their commissioning ceremony with the Holy Father on Ash Wednesday.

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Also during my time in Rome, I had a chance to see a number of people.

I met with two members of the Catholic University board who were in Rome for meetings.

I also met with three Capuchins from my province who were there. Two of them are Missionaries of Mercy. (In fact I was very pleased to learn that 10% of the Missionaries of Mercy are Capuchins.)

Msgr. Leopoldo Nuñez from Chile brought me this calendar in Rapanui, the language of Easter Island.

And I also saw Archbishop Flavio Carraro, the Archbishop Emeritus of Verona, who is a Capuchin.

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Finally, I want to share this photo with you:

This is Sister Mercedes Moore, OSB. She is a Benedictine Sister who worked with me in the Virgin Islands and was very helpful, particularly after the hurricane that devastated the island. She just celebrated her 101st birthday and she is still very active with her crocheting and is blessed with extraordinary health.

I was happy to be able to send her flowers for her birthday, and we wish her many more!

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán