Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, (Revised June 2026)

Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (Revised June 2026)

In Dallas, 2002, at their Annual Meeting, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops drafted a landmark document in response to the crisis of sexual abuse of children in the Church. This document, setting forth their agreed upon responsibilities in combating the problem, is entitled the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (Revised June 2026). 

The Charter is a comprehensive set of procedures originally to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. The Charter mandates the creation of a permanent USCCB Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, the National Review Board, and the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection. The Charter was revised in 2005, 2011, and 2018.  

The present version of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (Revised June 2026) seeks to define key terms while balancing care for victim-survivors with accused clergy’s right to the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.

This proposed revised Charter contains notable additions to the original, but maintains the intent and focus of the original Charter to express the commitment of the bishops to address with transparency and accountability accusations of abuse committed by clergy.

The glossary is the newest addition to this revision. This is in response to repeated requests from dioceses on having more consistent definitions of various terms.

The Charter directs action in all the following matters:

• Creating a safe environment for children and young people;
• Healing and reconciliation of victims and survivors;
• Making prompt and effective response to allegations;
• Cooperating with civil authorities;
• Disciplining offenders;
• Providing for means of accountability for the future to ensure the problem continues to be effectively dealt with through the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and the National Review Board.

A Statement of Episcopal Commitment and the Essential Norms for Diocesan/Eparchial Policies Dealing with Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests or Deacons are in the same booklet as the Charter but are not part of the Charter itself.

You can access the following Spanish translation of the 2018 Charter: Estatuto para la Protección de Niños y Jóvenes (Revisado Junio 2018). A future Spanish translation of the 2026 version Charter is forthcoming.