Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Safeguarding Commission head Andrew Azzopardi will form part of a task force launched by Pope Francis to help Bishops’ Conferences prepare and update child protection guidelines.

The intention to form such a group had already been announced by the Pope at last year’s Meeting for the Protection of Minors in the Church, which ran from February 21 to 24.

In a statement released on Friday, the Holy See Press Office said the task force will be supervised by Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, together with the  members of the organising Committee for last year’s meeting: Archbishop Scicluna, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Cardinal Blase Cupich and Father Hans Zollner, member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

The task force will be coordinated by Mr Azzopardi and a number of canon law experts of different nationalities.

The Coordinator will report quarterly to the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State on the work undertaken by the task force.

The task force’s mandate will last for two years, beginning 24 February 2020.

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