Promise to Protect, Pledge to Heal.
Mrs. Suzanne Healy, Chair of the National Review Board interviewed the former Chair of the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCYP), Most Rev. James V. Johnston, Jr., Bishop of Kansas City, St. Joseph, and Most Rev. Barry C...
Mark Joseph Williams speaks for the Body of Bishops about the healing journey of clerical abuse survivors.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, CSsR shares his experience of accompaniment of abuse survivors.
The committee provides the bishops of the United States with comprehensive planning and recommendations concerning child and youth protection, in coordination with the National Review Board, as dictated by the Charter for the Protection of Children & Young People.
The secretariat has the following areas of responsibility: provide support and assistance to the National Review Board and Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, conduct diocesan audits, and exist as a resource for dioceses/eparchies.
The Catholic Church is absolutely committed to the safety of children. Together we can make a Promise to Protect, and a Pledge to Heal.
The 2023 Annual Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, produced by the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection (SCYP) in 2024, describes the progress of Catholic dioceses/eparchies in the United States, in implementing victim assistance and child protection policies and programs articulated within the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The report is based on an annual audit process, carried out between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, by StoneBridge Business Partners.
Annual Report Archives
The Holy Father issued revised Motu Proprio Vos estis lux mundi for the worldwide response to the evil of sexual abuse. These norms, initially promulgated in 2019, are now permanent. This add to layers of response already in place in the United States including the Essential Norms and the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.
These norms affect the global Church and require:
Bishops are also to be held accountable under the authority of this Motu Proprio, which covers sexual abuse of minors or vulnerable persons, sexual acts compelled through the abuse of authority, and any coverup or interference with the reporting of such crimes.
The norms also require that Church institutions comply with civil reporting laws.