“The protection of children against sexual exploitation is a duty of all States, who are called to identify both traffickers and abusers… At the same time, it is all the more a duty to denounce and prevent child abuse in the various spheres of society: school, sports, recreational and cultural institutions, religious communities and individuals…Even today we see how often in families the first reaction is to cover everything up; a first reaction that is still present in other institutions, and in the Church too. We must fight against this old habit of covering up”.

Francis, May 15, 2021, receiving the members of the Meter Association, which is committed against pedophilia, exploitation and for the rights of children