Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors will attend the meeting of representatives of the protection system in Poland (announcement)
Summarizing past activities, strengthening cooperation and setting directions for further development, and building a culture of accountability and transparency – these are the main goals of a joint training session of all groups of the Church’s protection system in Poland starting next week, which will be attended by Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
https://episkopat.pl/doc/228515.Il-Segretario-della-Pontificia-Commissione-per-la-Tutela-dei
https://episkopat.pl/doc/228426.Sekretarz-Papieskiej-Komisji-ds-Ochrony-Maloletnich-na
The training of diocesan and religious delegates, pastoral workers of the abused, probation officers and those responsible for prevention, will take place on 13-15 May this year in Mount Saint Anne in the Diocese of Opole. For the first time, representatives of all groups of the protection system in the Church in Poland will meet together. Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM), will be a special guest at the conference.
“The conference in Mount Saint Anne is not only a space for reflection and dialogue, but above all an expression of the shared responsibility of the Church in Poland for the underprivileged and effective prevention efforts. Annual meetings are usually dedicated to individual groups, this time we will meet together to strengthen cooperation between different actors in the system. Lectures and group work will provide an opportunity to analyze the challenges and prospects for protecting minors and vulnerable adults in both the Church and society” – Fr Wojciech Rzeszowski, head of the Office of the Delegate of the Polish Bishops Conference for the Protection of Children and Youth, explains. “It will also be an opportunity to look at the challenges the Church faces today in the area of protecting children and vulnerable adults. This perspective will be presented by Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The bishop will give an opening lecture and answer questions from meeting participants” – he adds.
Last year, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors approved the framework indications for the Guidelines, which will be updated in local Churches. The document is currently in the pilot consultation phase in five countries on different continents, including Poland. After the consultation phase, the document will be finalized and finally approved. The scope of the new indications is much broader than the existing ones, as it includes not only procedures, but a holistic system for the protection of children, young people and vulnerable people in terms of response and assistance to the harmed and prevention. The PCPM’s indications for the development of the Guidelines will be discussed by Ewa Kusz, Deputy Director of the Child Protection Centre and member of the Pontifical Commission. Prior to that, participants will learn about the analysis of existing protection activities in Poland.
The annual meeting of the protection system is organized by representatives of the system’s groups: delegates, chaplains, those responsible for prevention and probation officers. The training is funded by the Saint Joseph Foundation of the Polish Bishops’ Conference.
Office of the Delegate of the Polish Bishops Conference for the Protection of Children and Youth
