A conference highlighting the Church’s mission to protect minors and vulnerable persons has taken place in the Philippines, marking an important step in strengthening safeguarding efforts in the country. It was the first national conference of its kind in the Southeast Asian island nation – a country that stands as a stronghold of the Catholic Church in the region. Experts from across the Philippines and neighbouring Southeast Asian nations took part. More than 300 delegates – including bishops, religious superiors, members of religious orders, and lay experts – gathered for four days in Angeles City, Pampanga Province, under the theme “Our Mission of Safeguarding: A Journey of Hope and Compassion.” The event was jointly organised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM), the Conference of Major Superiors of the Philippines (CMSP), and the Manila-based Catholic Safeguarding Institute (CSI).
Coleen Rae Ramirez-Panahon is the Director for Safeguarding Research and Reflection at the Catholic Safeguarding Institute (CSI) in the Philippines. She told Vatican Radio that the country’s first national safeguarding conference brought new visibility to the idea that safeguarding is a mission shared by all. “In the past, the issue might have remained in the shadows and been seen as the responsibility of only a few,” the Philippine expert explained. “Now, the most immediate step we can take is to share what we’ve gained from the conference – above all, the conversion and commitment of our wider communities to safeguarding. We must bring everyone on board and open up the conversation, so that fears and apprehensions begin to fade. It’s equally important to get to know the vulnerable people in our midst, to understand their situations, their barriers, and their hopes. Only then can we shape the protective measures that pastors must adopt in their own parishes.”
