, professor and director of the University of Notre Dame’s (GC-DWC), has joined a major new Vatican-backed initiative, “From Crisis to Care: Catholic Action for Children” to position Notre Dame as a lead research and program learning partner of this global effort to transform how the Catholic Church and its partners protect and nurture the world’s most vulnerable children.

Answering the late Pope Francis’ urgent call to safeguard the rights, dignity and well-being of children, the Catholic Action for Children Initiative is co-sponsored by Holy See institutions and religious unions, including the Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development, Union of Superiors General, International Union of Superiors General and Pontifical Academy for Life, with the participation of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Catholic Relief Services, religious congregations and lay experts. Working directly with children and families across five continents, the initiative aims to culminate in a public action plan to support church leaders, communities and partners, ensuring that every child grows up in safe, nurturing family care supported by strong, coherent systems.

The initiative held its inaugural committee meeting in Vatican City February 5. During an audience at Clementine Hall, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV met with the committee, emphasizing the “tragedy” of children being deprived of basic necessities and urging “greater harmony” among church structures to address their physical, psychological and spiritual welfare.

The GC-DWC’s involvement in this Vatican initiative is a powerful reflection of Notre Dame’s mission to be a “transformative force for good” in the world. It specifically advances the , which identifies global Catholicism, poverty and health and well-being as central priorities for the coming decade.

“As a Catholic research university, Notre Dame is uniquely positioned to lead,” Boothby said. “By helping to lead this global initiative, we are ensuring that the GC-DWC’s evidence-based research on child development is directly supporting the church’s global network of care.”

Boothby and the GC-DWC bring a wealth of experience to the “From Crisis to Care” framework. Since its inception, the center’s research and programs have spanned 26 countries, demonstrating a proven ability to translate complex developmental science into practical solutions for families and communities worldwide. A cornerstone of this global reach is the center’s “Whole Child” approach to development, which recognizes that a child’s development is inextricably linked to their environment.

This is operationalized through the GC-DWC’s Parish Activation Model, an integrated framework that leverages the three settings where children are in regular contact with caregivers: the home, school and church. By embedding developmental science into existing parish life — such as baptismal preparation, homilies and school curricula — the center strengthens the very systems that surround the child. Originally developed through the GC-DWC’s long-term work in Haiti, this model provides a unique platform for developing and pilot testing programs that can be iteratively refined and then scaled system-wide to reach hundreds of thousands of children globally.

Addressing the committee, Pope Leo XIV welcomed their commitment to develop effective ways to address the concerns of children. He identified two essential points for the committee’s mission: first, that they are “speaking on behalf of those who have no voice,” and second, the need to focus on the “transversal needs of children,” which can be overlooked when care is focused on only one area. He urged the committee to work in “greater harmony so that children receive care that is well balanced, taking into consideration their physical, psychological and spiritual welfare.”

The committee identified five priority areas for future collective action:

• Unified Advocacy and Voice: A call for a collaborative commitment from the church and society to advocate for child rights through unified policy engagement and education.

• Networking: Partnering across religious, governmental and academic sectors to dismantle the silos that obstruct the well-being of children and families.

• Centering Children in the Church’s Mission: Placing the dignity and protection of children at the heart of ministry, ensuring robust safeguarding and communities of trust.

• Formation and Capacity Building: A commitment to equipping families, congregations and institutions with the tools to support and respect the rights of every child.

• Inclusion and Engagement: Ensuring children are active participants in decisions affecting them, creating platforms to amplify their diverse voices and perspectives.

“The GC-DWC's role is to serve as a research partner, helping the Church activate the systems — families, parishes and schools — that already exist around the child,” Boothby added. “It is incredibly powerful to connect science to faith to make these pathways out of adversity actionable. This initiative is about turning a universal mandate into concrete, measurable action on a global scale.”

Originally published by Brooke Parker at .