Posts in category: Message from Head

Welcome to this latest edition of the Safeguarding Commission’s newsletter for the Church in Malta. Through this newsletter, we continue to share updates, reflections, and developments that support our wider commitment to building a consistent safeguarding culture across all areas of Church life.

Earlier this month, we published the Safeguarding Commission’s Annual Report for 2025. The report highlighted the Commission’s work in prevention and training, support and advocacy for victims, preliminary investigations, and risk assessment. The public and media response showed clearly that safeguarding remains a matter of significant importance, and that this conversation must continue with openness, transparency, and responsibility.

In June, the Safeguarding Commission will participate in the International Safeguarding Conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University. This will provide an important opportunity to engage with safeguarding professionals, Church representatives, researchers, and practitioners from across the world, while continuing to learn from international developments and share our own experience and practice.

We have also begun our first outreach project, Listening Spaces, in collaboration with the Chaplaincy of the University of Malta. This pilot initiative provides a structured and reflective space for dialogue, awareness, and engagement around safeguarding within a Church-related setting.

We recently held a productive meeting with the Commissioner for Children ahead of the development of a child-friendly version of the Safeguarding Policy. This initiative reflects our commitment to making safeguarding accessible, understandable, and meaningful for children and young people.

These developments form part of the Commission’s wider work, including the ongoing review of the Safeguarding Policy ahead of its launch in November, research in collaboration with Discern, and continued awareness-raising through radio, online, and social media initiatives.

The Safeguarding Commission also remains committed to supporting organisations and institutions that seek consultation on safeguarding policies, practices, and structures. This support is offered to the private sector, voluntary organisations, different faith communities, and other dioceses.

We consider this work part of our mission to contribute to the Universal Church through the sharing of our experience and safeguarding practice. This is especially meaningful in light of the recognition reflected in the Annual Report of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Tutela Minorum, which encouraged other Episcopal Conferences to refer to our guidelines as an example of good practice.

Safeguarding formation also remains a central part of the Commission’s work. A programme of training sessions is taking place between May and November, including training with parish communities, chaplaincies, schools, and religious communities. Upcoming sessions include formation for all chaplains, as well as safeguarding training within educational and pastoral settings.

Through this newsletter, we aim to maintain regular communication about upcoming events, training sessions, key initiatives, and developments in the Commission’s work. We hope it will help sustain a culture of safety, accountability, trust, and wellbeing across the Church in Malta.

I am pleased to introduce the first edition of the Safeguarding Commission’s newsletter for the Church in Malta. This initiative forms part of our ongoing commitment to strengthening a consistent safeguarding culture across all areas of Church life.

Over the past year, several significant milestones have shaped our work. Last year, we held the first national Safeguarding Conference, bringing together clergy, religious, parish representatives, and professionals to deepen shared understanding and shared responsibility.

On the 17th of this month, we formalised our collaboration with the Victim Support Agency through a Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement establishes clear referral pathways, strengthens coordinated victim care, and supports harmonisation with statutory authorities in Malta. It reflects a shared commitment to professional cooperation, clarity of roles, and the consistent application of safeguarding standards.

We also had the opportunity to visit the Diocese of Kaunas in Lithuania, which enabled meaningful exchange and the sharing of our work on safeguarding structures and practices. The visit offered valuable insight into approaches for the prevention of and response to safeguarding concerns, and facilitated constructive dialogue on shared realities faced by dioceses.

We also continued reviewing the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy adopted by the Church in Malta and Gozo, primarily by consulting with victims, complainants and subjects of complaints to ensure that lived experience informs procedural clarity. Consultation meetings have also been held with professionals, Church personnel, clergy and major stakeholders. In parallel, we are working with the Commissioner for Persons with Disability to ensure that our policies and communications are accessible and intelligible to all. A revised version of the Safeguarding Policy is set to be published in the coming months.

Research on safeguarding measures has also been a key element in the work that we have been doing, mainly in collaboration with Discern. This research aims to strengthen evidence-based practice, identify gaps in current safeguarding responses, and ensure that the revised policy reflects both international standards and the local realities of the Church.

The Safeguarding Commission also aims to further strengthen awareness of safeguarding. Twelve radio programmes were broadcasted on RTK103, an ongoing online and social media campaign is being implemented, and regular meetings are being held to further promote understanding of safeguarding.

This newsletter is intended as a practical point of contact for our upcoming events, training sessions, and key initiatives, as well as a concise quarterly digest of the Commission’s work. Through it, we aim to maintain regular communication, strengthen awareness, and support a culture of safety, accountability, and wellbeing.