Opening Remarks by Fr. Dennis
Today’s discussion on child wellness invites us to reflect deeply—on why it matters and what role each of us plays. Children are the future, and their well‑being shapes tomorrow. UNICEF’s foundational work (2007) highlighted key aspects: material needs, education, health, behaviour, relationships, and self-perception. Yet too often, family and peer support—foundations of a child’s world—are under-addressed, leaving gaps in safeguarding when systems fail. Pope Francis urges us to act—starting with strong families and stable communities. As Church and society, we are called to engage earnestly, learn compassionately, and respond courageously.
A deep Dive by Fr. Marcel
A Story of Hope
It was a quiet afternoon in northern Uganda when Sister Angela discovered Maria—a malnourished five‑year‑old left orphaned by civil war. Through care, education, and compassion, Maria blossomed into a teacher and pillar of her community. Her journey embodies the Church’s sacred mission: protecting and empowering children through holistic care, encompassing their physical, emotional, spiritual, and social needs. Every child is an image of God, a bearer of hope, deserving of our fullest investment.
The Church’s Transformative Role
Child wellness transcends “basic charity”—it is a Gospel mandate. The Church serves millions: over 62 million students in Catholic schools and countless patients in Church-run hospitals. In marginalized regions, missions deliver vital education, nutrition, and healthcare. Orphanages and shelters restore dignity. As a global advocate, the Church fights child labour, trafficking, and neglect. From Bangladesh to the Congo and closer home in Kenya, Church-led programs shape laws and rescue the vulnerable. The Church’s significant role in these areas should empower us all and motivate us to continue this important work.
Commitment to Child Wellness Since 2010
No economic ambition justifies sacrificing children. Since 2010, aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the Catholic Church has deepened its work. Caritas and CRS run nutrition and early childhood programs in South Sudan and post-conflict Africa. The Vatican allocated over €2.1 million to safeguarding training for clergy and laity, with dioceses intensifying child protection efforts across Africa, where the Church operates 40% of secondary schools. Rwanda’s post-genocide strategy—closing orphanages, reintegrating children, and reforming child‑rights laws—stands as a beacon of progress. This commitment, made since 2010, should reassure us all that the Church is taking significant steps to address these issues.
Confronting the Scandal
At the same time, the Church bears the weight of its failures. Clerical sexual abuse has inflicted lifelong trauma—depression, addiction, and even suicide. The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, established by Pope Francis in 2014, has steadily increased transparency. Its first global report (Oct 2024) flagged funding shortages in Africa and Asia, stressed victims’ rights to information, and advocated for compensation and public apologies. Recent meetings with Pope Leo XIV underscore a renewed commitment, although calls for zero-tolerance policies persist.
Making Safeguarding a Lifestyle
Tragic cases have emerged within homes, too—studies in Kenya and Nigeria show high rates of abuse by family or domestic workers. Proper safeguarding requires more than condemnation—it demands prevention, education, and structural change. The Church must equip caregivers, train volunteers, and ensure financial sustainability. Safeguarding can no longer be a reactive approach—it must be woven into daily life, encompassing prayer, community, and formation.
Strategies: From Policy to Practice towards Child Wellness
1. Cultivate a Plasma of Care
Protecting children is not a project—it’s a spiritual discipline. Start with Small Christian Communities, weekly prompts, and grassroots awareness. In Garissa, Kenya, training priests, religious sisters, and catechists in child safeguarding—rooted in African contexts—has begun to overcome traditional resistance and harmonize with Islamic and civil expectations.
2. Deepen Faith Formation
Children deserve more than transactional catechesis. Post‑First Communion formation must nourish their spiritual, emotional, and social lives. They need spaces where they can speak, learn, and grow. Parents and domestic workers, too, must be formed as guardians of sacred mystery, not mere facilitators.
3. Strengthen Leadership Formation
Today’s priesthood needs more than diplomas—it demands lifelong intellectual and spiritual formation. Poorly formed leaders can increase abuse risks. Safeguarding must be lived authentically—from seminary onward.
4. Equip Parish Volunteers
Sunday school animators and pastoral servants must receive safeguarding training—not just orientation. Mandatory, regular, contextualized training—recommended by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales—raises standards and embeds responsibility.
5. Ensure Transparency & Accountability
The Pontifical Commission is pioneering regional teams, a global feedback loop, and funding partnerships to build capacity. However, transparency remains vital: victims need access to information, compensation, and assurance that such incidents will not recur.
A Call From the Heart
This is sacred work. To quote Jesus: “Whoever receives one child in my name receives me.” The cry of a child is not only for food or education—it is a plea for dignity, love, and belonging. I recall being that child, cared for by an uncle after the genocide. Children ask: “Will you make room for me?”
The Church has often answered. We’ve educated the poor, healed the sick, sheltered the abandoned. But we’ve failed, too—bureaucracy stifles compassion, and silence conceals the truth. Yet, no failure is final. The resurrection reminds us that injustice does not have the last word.
Safeguarding must be as natural as prayer or nourishment. Policies matter, but more so the culture of placing the child at the centre—not as a problem to fix, but a mystery to unfold. Imagine if John the Baptist had been harmed—what prophet might we have lost? In saving a child, we touch heaven.
