The Vatican launched a period of this Friday public consultation for all believers on the latest guidelines for the prevention of sexual abuse in the Churchdrawn up by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

The global consultation will be available on the Commission’s websitein four languages, until the end of September and will also be distributed to the episcopal conferences of the world, to the superiors of religious congregations and societies of apostolic life, the Holy See announced today.

“In addition to leading the process of updating Church-wide protection guidelines, the Commission will provide assistance to those local churches that may not have the necessary financial or human resources to ensure the practical application of such guidelines” the Vatican said in a statement. a statement.

Those guidelines, approved in early May, call for local churches to “provide systems to receive and manage allegations of abuse and to support all those affected.”

Other requirements include counseling for those affected by the abuses, procedures open to the public, a declared commitment to protection, risk prevention measures, and ongoing training for all Church ministers.

The novelties also include the use of “a verification tool that will serve to assess the adequacy of guidelines for the protection of local churches” as well as “strategies for responding quickly to Francis’ request to combat the evils of online abuse of minors”.

“Now is the time to repair the damage done to previous generations and to those who continue to suffer,” Pope Francis told members of the Commission on May 5.

“The Church should strive to become an example of welcome and good behavior,” said the pope, who stressed that “efforts to improve guidelines and standards of conduct for the clergy must continue.”

Earlier, in March, Pope Francis signed a new decree that strengthens standards regulating instances of sexual abuse and abuse of power in the Church by extending responsibilities also to “lay believers” who have been moderators of religious associations, in addition to the clergy. .

In 2019, Pope Francis issued an unprecedented standard, the “motu proprio” “Vos estis lux mundi” (You are the light of the world), which established the procedure to be followed in dioceses in case of abuse.