AMECEA: Bishops Enlightened on Memorare Initiative
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
A section of bishops from the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) region, together with child-safeguarding representatives from its member conferences, have been enlightened on a program by the Vatican dubbed Memorare Initiative aimed to “offer care and support through counselling, spiritual guidance, and rescue services.”
The mandate to come up with Memorare Initiative was in 2022 when Pope Francis in his address to members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) said, “I urge you to assist the Bishops’ Conferences. This is very important: to assist and supervise in dialogue with the Bishops’ Conferences, in the establishment of suitable centres where people who have suffered abuse, and their families, can find welcome and attentive listening and be accompanied in a process of healing and justice.”
The Memorare Initiative therefore aims to assist and collaborate with local Churches worldwide in training and strengthening the prevention and safeguarding capacities for children and vulnerable adults. Besides, it is to promote listening to victims and survivors of sexual abuse and their families and meeting also in the prevention of new cases and adequate attention to the complaints of those who have suffered.
Generally, the Memorare Initiative focuses on formation and capacity building of clergy, religious -men and women, and the laity, offering essential counseling services to individuals or groups in the Church.
Addressing the AMECEA bishops at a recent conference in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, Ms. Patience Mwangi a member of PCPM in Africa and the regional advisor pointed out that the Memorare Initiative focuses on three pillars developed from Vos estis lux mundi:
“The initiative is to help in the creation of systems for receiving complaints and safe and appropriate accompaniment of victims and survivors; for safeguarding formation; and for network building to promote awareness and prevention strategies,” Ms. Mwangi narrated emphasizing that the initiative is not non-discriminatory and all can receive support irrespective of Religion, ethnicity, social classes, and gender.
In this case, the regional advisor said, the local Church leadership is tasked with the responsibility of establishing a safe space for psycho-social support for those expected to offer pastoral Care and Spiritual counseling.
Expounding on how AMECA should respond to this need Ms. Augusta Muthingani representative of PCPM in Africa who serves as the regional expert shared Memorare Initiative is a shared responsibility and the Church leaders are expected to “Provide appropriate cultural processes and services.”
She underscored that they are to ensure there are accountability processes in place that adhere to the Five R’s (Receiving, Recording, Reporting, Referring, Reviewing,) and at the same time the principles of case management are understood by all and the information shared is well protected.
Ms. Muthingani explained to the participants that Dioceses are encouraged to constitute a Safeguarding Committee which should be chaired by a Bishop’s delegate. These Committees need to work with institutions serving children including hospitals, Catholic children’s institutions, catechetical services, parishes, youths, the elderly, and children with special needs and disability.
According to the regional expert, the members of the safeguarding committee should be publicly known by all the faithful so people can report their issues, and the alleged cases should later be shared with the Bishop to be in the picture of safeguarding issues in his Dioceses.
How to Apply for the Memorare Grant
The two conferences in a country that is for the bishops and the religious jointly sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The Episcopal conference completes the detailed grant application form and submits it to PCPM. The Memorare advisor, together with the national safeguarding committee or board, creates a work plan for the implementation of the Memorare activities that PCPM proposed.
