Pope Leo met members of the international Vatican commission on sexual abuse prevention in the Vatican City this week.

It’s believed to be his first meeting with the group since he was elected on May 8.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) was founded in 2014 and is made up of abuse prevention experts with a mandate to advise the pope and implement best practices for protection in local churches around the world.

In a statement, the commission said it updated Pope Leo on progress in the Memorare Initiative, a programme designed to support local churches, particularly in the Global South, in their efforts to protect minors and care for victims of abuse:

“The Memorare Initiative is tailored to each ecclesial context. It respects local autonomy while offering essential support to ensure that all churches, regardless of resources, can uphold their sacred duty to protect the vulnerable.”

PCPM’s founder Cardinal Seán O’Malley, who is also the Archbishop emeritus of Boston told Vatican Radio that the priorities of the commission under Pope Leo “are the same as ever.

“We’re trying to put the victims and their families first, but certainly, transparency [is vital]; in the past, the worst…actions of the Church were covering up the crimes, not reporting them. So, working with the civil authorities is a very, very important step forward.”

He added that transparency comes from “letting people know what’s happening; a sense of responsibility; and the importance of a whole educational process in the Church, so that people realise that the Church, by our very mission, needs to be an expression of God’s love and mercy, and therefore the care and protection of the children and young people needs to be central in our mission”.

Abuse scandals have damaged the Church's reputation and have been a major challenge for the Vatican.

(Additional reporting by Reuters)