The Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) is working tirelessly to safeguard children and vulnerable adults from any form of abuse in the Church and society through several initiatives. The most recent of these has been the review of the ECM’s Child and Vulnerable Adults Safeguarding Policy which started on 14th to 16th of January 2025, at the Catholic Secretariat in Lilongwe.
Speaking during the review, ECM’s Bishop Chairman for Safeguarding, who is also the Bishop for Dedza diocese, Right Rev Peter Adrian Chifukwa said the exercise reflects the Church’s collective commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in the Church
“The Church in Malawi carries this responsibility with great care and dedication. Let us all work together to build a culture of safeguarding that permeates every corner of our society. With God’s guidance, may we create safe and nurturing environments for all, especially for the most vulnerable among us”. Said Bishop Chifukwa
He continued by encouraging National and Diocesan Safeguarding officers and all stakeholders to continue working hard in educating the faithful for them to understand and fully adopt safeguarding issues. He said safeguarding must not be about policies and institutions alone but should be a culture of Malawian society, beginning at the household level and extending throughout communities.
Orienting the group on Vos Estis Lux Mundi (You are the light of the world), a document written to Bishops encouraging them not to cover issues of abuse in the Church but bring them to light, Rev Fr. Dr. Israel Madziakaphwa said is it important for the safeguarding officers to know and understand the document and draw inspiration from it in handling issues of abuse in the Church and society.
“The Church has zero tolerance for anything contrary to the respect of minors and vulnerable people. It is totally against issues of sexual abuse, harassment, and any form of act contrary to the ethics of humanity. The document, therefore, provides guidance on investigation procedures, especially on sexual abuse about Clerics and the Religious. It is important for the officers and all stakeholders to know and understand the document because sexual abuse can involve the lay faithful as well. So while there are procedures for priests and the religious, it is also important for the policy they are reviewing to decentralize these procedures for people working in catholic institutions and parishes if they happen to be involved in the abuse.” Said Fr. Dr. Madziakaphwa
The ECM Safeguarding Policy guides the protection of children and vulnerable adults from any form of abuse in the Church. The review exercise brought together Safeguarding Officers and other stakeholders from all catholic Arch/dioceses in the country.