Recoletos joins the 1st National Safeguarding Conference

The Province of Saint Ezekiel Moreno of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, through its Safe Environment Commission headed by Fray Arnel F. Diaz, actively participated in the 1st National Safeguarding Conference, held from October 20 to 23, 2025, at the Quest Plus Convention Center in Clark, Pampanga.

The conference theme “Our Mission of Safeguarding: A Journey of Hope and Compassion” highlights the unified call to build a culture of safeguarding across the Church, anchored in healing, empathy, accountability, responsibility, transparency, and synodal accountability. It aims to form leaders, standardize best practices, and foster a sustained culture of prevention across parishes, schools, ministries, and digital spaces. It sets the tone for a program focused on listening to survivors, strengthening governance, and embedding prevention in every level of Church life.

The Most Rev. Archbishop Florentino Lavarias, D.D., Archbishop of San Fernando and Chair of the CBCP Episcopal Office for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults, in his welcome address, described the conference as “a turning point” for the Church in the Philippines. “We gather not merely as representatives, but as stewards of hope and protectors of human dignity, ensuring every child and vulnerable person is seen, heard, protected, and loved,” he said.

He reported that more than 260 delegates are in attendance, representing 71% of the country’s 87 arch/dioceses, plus 116 participants from several congregations and organizations, 25 Filipino bishops, and international guests, including representatives from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults and the Bishops’ Conference of Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.

Pope Leo XIV, in his message transmitted by Archbishop Charles Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, to Archbishop Lavarias, emphasized the need for effective safeguarding and transparency within Church institutions. He described the Church as “our spiritual home,” where every parish and pastoral activity should be a place “to glorify God and care for others, especially children and the vulnerable.” He renewed his appeal that there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church.

The Most Rev. Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM), gave a keynote address focusing on “Safeguarding: A Mission of Faith, Responsibility, and Hope.”

Bishop Alí Herrera called safeguarding “a theological imperative and evangelical mandate, not a mere compliance task. Safeguarding is not optional; it is a moral and spiritual necessity. The culture of secrecy must give way to a culture of truth and transparency.”

He linked synodality with protection – emphasizing listening that leads to action, accountability, and healing – and highlighted three practices for a safeguarding Church, namely, Participation in Decision-making, Transparency and Accountability, and Community Discernment and Collaboration. Citing the “Vos Estis Lux Mundi”, he urged the implementation of universal norms, the reporting systems aligned with civil law, the importance of ongoing clergy and lay formation (including safe digital environments), and implementation of a structured collaboration with survivor groups and authorities.