African Sisters Overhaul Safeguarding Systems; Institutional Framework Replaces Reactive R

NAIROBI, Kenya. On July 30 and 31, sisters and legal professionals from 13 African countries gathered in Nairobi to do something concrete: redesign how their institutions build safety in, rather than bolt it on after harm has already occurred.

The African Conference for Catholic Sisters in Canon and Civil Law examined safeguarding as an institutional framework, not a damage-control mechanism. The shift is fundamental. The question is no longer only how the church responds after abuse occurs, but how authority should be structured to make abuse less likely from the start.

Francesco Pappalardo, legal consultant for the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, laid out the operational infrastructure that makes safeguarding functional rather than theoretical. Streamlined reporting procedures, clear delegation of responsibility, reliable accompaniment processes, rigorous evaluation systems, and collaborative leadership that integrates safety into every aspect of church governance form the backbone of a working model. Without these systems in place, he argued, safeguarding exists only on paper.

The conference surfaced a critical gap: the safety of religious themselves. Claudia Giampietro, also of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, noted that religious sisters and brothers often suppress their own abuse experiences, leaving institutional protections incomplete. Effective safeguarding must extend to those who work within religious communities, not only those served by their ministries.

By contrast, the most durable protection begins long before ministry starts. Conference participants emphasized that safeguarding cannot be grafted onto religious life after formation is complete. Sr. Dr. Mary Lembo, a psychotherapist and member of the Congregation of St. Catherine of Alexandria, argued that institutes must assess candidates’ life experiences during recruitment to understand what makes them feel safe. Formation should not be a checklist of sequential steps but a pathway shaped by each candidate’s individual history.

Lembo advocated for embedding codes of conduct and safety guidelines into formation curricula, enabling religious to discern when they feel safe, with whom they feel safe, and whether others feel safe in their presence. This approach creates, in her words, fertile ground where protection can take root and grow throughout a sister’s vocation.

One model already functioning on the ground drew particular attention. The Conference of Religious Women in India established a Grievance Redressal Cell in 2023 that trains religious women on different forms of abuse and relevant protection laws, while providing a platform for reporting grievances with assured support and accompaniment. Participants viewed it as a template for strengthening safeguarding infrastructure across the African continent.

Johanna Streit, head of safeguarding at Missio Aachen, focused on the practical mechanics of receiving disclosures. Those handling allegations must listen without judgment, maintain confidentiality, and offer simple affirmations such as “I understand” or “I hear you.” Equally critical is knowing what support is available and connecting survivors with appropriate professional help, whether medical, legal, psychological, or spiritual.

Safeguarding also reaches into the institutional procedures that govern religious life directly. Sr. Eutropia Chao Mwakamba, director of Catholic Sisters in the Legal Profession, described how her organization helps congregations navigate the canonical separation of members with dignity and accountability. The organization provides accompaniment, refers sisters for counseling, and follows up on their progress after they leave their institute. In these cases, safeguarding means exercising authority with transparency and responsibility while respecting a person’s dignity and rights (a distinction that often gets lost when institutions prioritize process over person).

Sr. Jane Wakahiu, assistant vice president of the Catholic Sisters Initiative at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, spoke of survivors becoming “wounded healers,” their personal pain transformed through grace into empathy and healing for others. The initiative of Srs. Theresa Aletheia and Danielle Lussier gives that idea concrete form. Drawing from their own experiences of abuse within the church, the two sisters are establishing the Sisters of the Little Way of Beauty, Truth and Goodness in Lexington, Kentucky, to support other sisters who have experienced abuse.

Throughout, conference discussions framed safeguarding as a synodal journey requiring shared responsibility across every level of religious life. Holistic safeguarding, participants concluded, must accompany religious from formation through the full arc of their vocation, preventing and mitigating harm while establishing regulations that support healing without shame. When institutional procedures are transparent and accompaniment is assured, canonical separation becomes a dignified transition rather than a rupture.

The goal, as Pappalardo stated, is creating an environment where “each person knows that his or her dignity will be recognized and protected.” Whether the frameworks discussed in Nairobi translate into functioning systems across 13 countries, each with its own canonical and civil legal landscape, is the implementation question that now follows the delegates home. More on the conference and its themes is available at https://www.globalsistersreport.org/religious-life/legal-conference-sisters-across-africa-discuss-safeguarding-against-abuse.