CPCE Council calls for creating safe environments in churches

At an international conference in Warsaw (June 19-21, 2026), representatives of more than 40 European Protestant churches met to share experiences and prepare concrete steps to strengthen a safe environment in their communities. The organization, which brings together 40 million Protestants, has begun a multi-year process of cooperation and the implementation of protective measures across Europe. The conference was attended by lecturers and prevention coordinators Martina Zuštinová and Jana Grollová from the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren.

At the same time, the CPCE Council acknowledged that serious failures also occurred in the Protestant environment and stressed the need for accountability. CPCE President Rita Famos said: “The church must be a place of safety. Protection from violence is not a secondary task, but belongs to the very core of its mission.”

With this step, the community strengthens the united efforts of European Protestant churches to prevent abuse, support victims and create a safe environment for all.

CPCE Council call

(full text) 

Creating a safe space must be a central aspect of the proclamation and practice of our faith. It is a call of the Gospel to take care of thy neighbour. According to Christian ethics, safeguarding people against sexual violence is therefore an integral part of the Church’s mandate and of its mission in the world.

In the past, we have fallen short of this mandate. We are aware and regret that children, young people and vulnerable adults have suffered great injustice within our churches. In 2024, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted in favour of a resolution proposed by the European ‘Justice Initiative’. Resolution 2533 calls for standards for dealing with child abuse and improved protection for vulnerable persons throughout Europe. Europe must live up to its values when it comes to dealing with vulnerable people. As Protestant churches in Europe, we want to make our contribution
to this.

Many of our member churches have taken structured measures to protect vulnerable persons; some began doing so many years ago, whilst others have only recently made protection a priority. Where churches accept this responsibility and put it into practice, they help to raise awareness within their societies.

The CPCE General Assembly in 2024 commissioned us to set up a work process to share experiences with safeguarding measures, to evaluate them and to promote good practices in the Protestant churches in Europe. As the CPCE Council, we are encouraged by the interest shown in the launch conference for this process in Warsaw. We call on all our member churches to give high priority to the introduction and improvement of safeguarding measures and, where possible, to serve as an example for other social contexts.

adopted on 30 May 2026 in Doorn/NL
published on 19 June 2026 in Warsaw/PL

Source: Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe CPCE | leuenberg.eu.
Photo: kirahoffmann, Pixabay.