AMECEA: Church Should be a Safe Space for All: Catholic Nun Advocates for Safeguarding

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA

The Church has a responsibility to protect the dignity of every person, especially children and vulnerable adults, a Catholic nun has said advocating for the significance of embracing safeguarding in communities, parishes, and dioceses.

In an interview with Sr. Annah Theresa Nyadombo during a recent conference that brought together Bishops from the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) region and other clerics dealing with protection of minors in dioceses, the nun pointed out that the Church should be concerned with safeguarding matters now more than ever.

“The Church has a history. Over the past years, the Church was condemned for saying they were abusers and some crimes of child abuse that were committed in the past 30 or 40 years ago, are surfacing now. This means we need to be very prepared to prevent such happenings in the future,” the Zimbabwean nun who was appointed by Pope Francis in 2022, as a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors narrated to AMECEA Online Thursday, July 4, on the sidelines of the conference.

Since the Church is focused on safeguarding as a response to past failures and also committed to justice and healing for victims, restoring trust and integrity the nun said, She (the church) is expected to move from history to understanding the mechanisms that can be put in place to avoid future crimes.

In this case, Sr Annah, member of the congregation of Handmaids of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (HLMC) whose role in the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is to moderate the African region, underscored the need for capacity building not only for adults but also children so that “they grow up with moral values, respect and to know that everyone needs a peaceful environment and not allow violence to continue.”

She added that the mission of the Church is rooted in the teachings of Christ, and therefore every individual needs to be protected and nurtured by ensuring provision of safe spaces where everyone can feel valued, heard, and secure hence the need to implement comprehensive safeguarding measures, aimed to protect the vulnerable, uphold its moral responsibilities, and ensure a safe and supportive environment for all.

The nun who works at the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) in charge of education and safeguarding as the national coordinator appreciated the Holy Father for coming up with a strategy for correcting some of the previous mistakes including, “physical, sexual and spiritual abuses,” and to align the Church’s mission to reflect the love and care of Christ.

Asked what might have provoked the crimes committed decades ago to re-surface Sr. Nyadombo said the society is currently informed and well-exposed to sharing what seemed to be private matters.

“Right now, people are knowledgeable and are open to talk about the issues,” the nun who has served in the bishops’ conference in the education sector and safeguarding for about 12 years narrated and expounded, “Previously, it was a taboo to talk of sexual abuses or such crimes. One would not wish to be known if such a thing happened, feeling they were exposing their privacy. So, through education and other mechanisms, people are ready to express themselves, get therapy, and be healed.”