Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church: Responsibility, Accountability and Transparency

For four days in February 2019, Church leaders from across the globe convened in Rome for a landmark meeting on 'the Protection of Minors in the Church' called by Pope Francis. This event was a moment of untold importance for the Church in addressing the heinous crime of the abuse of minors by clergy, as well as the mishandling of these cases by Church authorities.

This publication brings together the keynote addresses from that meeting, alongside the heartrending testimonies of survivors of clerical sex abuse whose suffering was compounded by the rejection they faced after approaching the Church hierarchy for help. The presentations from this meeting, including Pope Francis' widely discussed concluding speech, are collected in this essential document which will be central to the development and implementation of standards to eliminate the scourge of sexual abuse from the Church.