AMECEA: Taskforce Created by Vatican to Develop Guidelines for Protection of Minors Comprise of AMECEA Members

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has created a special committee comprising of three individuals from the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) region whose role is to develop strategies for protection of minors and vulnerable adults across the globe.

In a message co-signed by Seán Patrick Cardinal O’Malley and Fr. Andrew Small the president and Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors respectively, the direction to create a taskforce to help in the safeguarding mission, was directed by Pope Francis.

“The Holy Father asked the Commission to assist the leaders of particular churches in providing accessible reporting systems and support to people who have been injured or impacted by acts of abuse,” reads part of the message addressed to Presidents of Episcopal Conferences and Superiors of Religious Orders.

According to the Vatican’s leadership, to implement the twofold mandate on a global level, “the Commission has necessarily adapted its structure to have members and personnel operative closer to where they are needed in the local churches.”

Besides, the Commission is divided into four geographical regions: Africa, America, Asia/Oceania and Europe with the hope that the task force “can affectively and effectively accompany and support the leadership of local churches that is the bishops and religious superiors in meeting their safeguarding obligations.

The three AMECEA members who are part of the taskforce include Prof. Benyam Dawit Mezmur from Ethiopia who is a Professor of Law at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa, and serves as Deputy Dean for Research and Post-Graduate Studies at the Law Faculty; Mr. Mezmur also Coordinates Children’s Rights Project at the Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance, and Human Rights, at UWC and also serves at the United Nations committee on the rights of the child; Ms. Augusta Muthigani from Kenya, an educationist with a background in education leadership, management and administration. The former National Executive Secretary for the Commission for Education & Religious Education at the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), has served at the same conference as the coordinator for safeguarding and child protection among other roles.

Additionally, Ms. Patience Mwangi whose mission revolves around working with child-based non-profit organizations in Africa, also hails from Kenya and has actively contributed to the fight for child rights, safeguarding, and the provision of basic rights to children.

Other members of the taskforce of the Regional Group for Africa include Dr. Emilie Rivet-Duval, from Mauritius, Sr. Annah Theresa Nyadombo HLMC, National Education and Safeguarding Coordinator for the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Bishop Peter Karam, Apostolic Administrator of Notre-Dame du Liban de Paris (Maronite) from Lebanon.

The Vatican leadership in their message dated Tuesday, August 1, highlighted that “Through these resource people, the Commission hopes to establish a fruitful working relationship with conference on topics and areas of mutual interest and concern in safeguarding.”

They stressed that the Pontiff has clearly emphasized in his teaching that “protection of minors is of the highest importance for the Church,” hence the Commission looks forward to providing information about the ongoing work and will provide recommendations to the Holy Father.