Kinshasa, 12 October, 2019 / 1:53 am (ACI Africa).
Some five months after Pope Francis issued his Apostolic Letter “Vos Estis Lux Mundi” (You are the light of the world) in which the Holy Father introduced norms regarding sexual abuse, Catholic Bishops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) have launched a series of trainings targeting pastoral agents in view of ensuring the protection of minors and vulnerable persons in the various structures of the local Church.
"We would like to focus on the protection of children, the protection of minors and vulnerable persons because, after all, they are our future,” Fr. George Kalenga told participants at the launch of the first training session in the diocese of Kongolo, Southeast of DR Congo.
“Vulnerable people are also human beings like us, whose lives we must protect and for whom we must create a safe environment that can support their growth,” Fr. Kalenga who is the deputy Secretary General of the National Bishops' Conference of Congo (CENCO) explained during the start of the three-day training Friday, October 4.
According to a message published on CENCO website, the training session will be extended to all Catholic structures of the 47 dioceses of the Catholic Church in the DR Congo.
The Catholic structures such as Caritas, the diocesan commission for Justice and Peace, the Coordination of Catholic schools and health centres are expected to be part of this training.
