The Archdiocese of Malta held its first-ever Safeguarding Commission conference on Thursday morning, with Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Secretary of the Vatican's Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors Bishop Luis Manuel Ali Herrera calling for a united, nationwide commitment to protecting minors and vulnerable adults.

Representatives from sectors beyond the Church, including NGOs, educators, social professionals, and safeguarding officers were also invited to attend the conference.

Opening the conference, Head of Malta's Safeguarding Commission Mark Pellicano said the event marked "an important milestone in the Church's journey of safeguarding in Malta."

The Maltese Episcopal Conference's safeguarding policy entrusts the Church with promoting protection across all its structures and affirms core values of responsibility, transparency, accountability, fairness, and compassion, Pellicano said.

Pellicano said that safeguarding is not only limited to cases of sexual abuse or abuse of power, but includes emotional, physical, spiritual and online abuse.

"We are increasingly aware that abuse happens both offline and online, and safeguarding requires vigilance across all fronts," he said.

Pellicano said that in recent years, NGOs and those interested have approached the Commission requesting safeguarding training and policy guidance.

"These collaborations inspired us to organise Malta's first safeguarding conference and to promote what we believe is a shared mission," he said, emphasising support for all minors and vulnerable adults.

'Malta must live up to its name as a safe haven,' Archbishop says

Addressing the conference, Archbishop Scicluna said that safeguarding "is truly a shared mission" and called for a cultural shift embracing collective responsibility.

Quoting the film Spotlight, Scicluna said that, "it takes a village to educate a child - it also takes a village to protect a child."

Scicluna reflected on his work with Popes Benedict XVI and Francis during his tenure at the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

He recalled the 2002 meeting convened by St John Paul II with US cardinals during the height of the clerical abuse crisis, where the Pope had said that "there is no place in the Church for any abuse of the young."

Scicluna said the Church must confront the painful truth that abuse "also happens within our ranks," a reality that "requires humility and courage."

Abuse committed in Church settings has "an egregious character," because it carries a spiritual dimension that not only harms a person's psyche and body but "assaults their faith journey," Scicluna said.

He recalled his experience in Chile, meeting a survivor who asked: "Where was God when I was being abused?"

"I told him: He was there with you, crying with you," Scicluna said.

Reflecting on Malta's Phoenician name - "malat", meaning 'safe haven,' the Archbishop said that safeguarding must be a national priority.

"We are a safe haven. If we want to be so as a society and as a Church, the protection of young and vulnerable people has to be a priority," Scicluna said.

Bishop Herrera delivered a presentation titled 'Global Lessons in Safeguarding.' He said the Commission's mission is "simple yet challenging: that every corner of the Church not only proclaims the Gospel, but practices a Gospel of protection."

He said the mission of safeguarding is rooted in love that protects, unusual kindness, and restored dignity, recalling his first encounter with a survivor of clerical abuse, which convinced him that creating a culture of care "is essential."

Herrera drew on Malta's Christian heritage, referencing the biblical account of St Paul's shipwreck and the phrase by survivors in the Bible: "the people of Malta showed us unusual kindness," -

"This phrase always stayed with me. In a moment of fear and confusion, the people of Malta welcomed strangers. That same unusual kindness must guide our safeguarding efforts," Herrera said.

Protection, he added, "is the short way of saying that every person and life matters and is sacred."

He referenced the story of St Josephine Bakhita, who survived several trepidations without losing her dignity.

"She would say, 'I am definitely loved, and whatever happens to me, I am awaited by this love.' Her words remind us that safeguarding is about ensuring no one feels nameless," Herrera said.

Herrera spoke of the Maltese word of "ġieh," meaning honour rooted not in pride, but in respect for every person's dignity, adding that safeguarding must be lived as "a daily practice of mercy and restoration of trust."

He spoke of the three pillars of the Pontifical Commission's global mission: Universal Guidelines Frameworks, which are guidelines that are universal but adapted to local culture, protecting not only minors but also the elderly, and addressing sexual, spiritual, emotional, financial abuse, and abuse of power.

The second pillar is the Annual Report - From Truth to Justice, which maps out the Church's protective capacities, identifying gaps, and ensuring accountability.

The third pillar is the Memorare Initiative - Steps Toward Care, which entails bishops, clergy and pastoral workers to listen, and entails locally tailored safeguarding plans, mentoring and ongoing accompaniment.

"Protection only works when the Church works hand in hand with society," he said, speaking of the need for collaboration with government, schools, civil society and communities.

Safeguarding, he said, becomes credible "not as obligation but as communion."

He praised Malta's openness to dialogue, saying that this conference is a step toward a national community of protection, a "living network of trust and shared responsibility," grounded in a trauma-informed and victim-centred approach.

"Mercy without truth is empty. Justice must be lived as communion, where Church, State and families learn how to protect together. May our unusual kindness become our way of life," Herrera said.