The International Safeguarding Commission of the OFM met from 5-7 March 2025 in the Antonianum, our first time to meet there. Two of our members could not be present with us, so that there were nine of us altogether. Depending on flights, with arrivals coming from the United States, Ireland, Singapore, Zimbabwe, we gathered between Sunday and Tuesday. As always, the Commission is very fortunate to have in its membership two women, Anne Peach and Rojean Caharian, who bring their rich experience to our meetings.
We are acutely conscious that Safeguarding Minors and Vulnerable Adults is concerned more with the culture of Safeguarding which is about creating safe spaces for ministry, rather than simply preventing sexual abuse. From the perspective of the Commission, it is an expression of the Franciscan charism of respect and appreciating the shared dignity of every creature of God. Since the reality of abuse occurs in many ways besides sexual abuse, we were concerned during this meeting to address spiritual abuse and its prevention. During our visit to the Penitentiary in the Lateran Basilica, the conversation widened to include the experience of abusive behaviour between confreres and in the treatment of religious women in some congregations. A highlight of our meeting was a visit to the Villa Malta where the members met with Fr Hans Zollner, SJ, who in the course of his remarks praised the commitment shown by the Friars Minor in recent years in the important area of Safeguarding.
In our evaluation of the meeting, the members were conscious of the blessing we received in the Antonianum where we witnessed fraternity lived by a large number of friars from many parts of the world and many different cultures, and we were made welcome.
We hope that they, in turn, could witness the seriousness of our commitment to help every friar to live out of a culture of Safeguarding that expresses the great gift God has granted him in his vocation to this gospel way of life.
