Actions from the Catholic Church

Please see below for a list of materials related to Protecting God’s Children that have been issued either by the Universal Church or by the Church in the United States. 

All resources related to Protecting God's Children that are made available by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are available here

During the Pontificate of Pope Saint John Paul II  

• The Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela,” Apostolic Letter issued ‘Motu Proprio’, April 30, 2001.   
   

• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” June 2002. 
   

• President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Essential Norms for Diocesan/Eparchial Policies Dealing with Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests or Deacons,” December 2002.   
   

• U.S. Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People and the National Review Board, “Diocesan Review Boards Questions and Answers”; November 2003. 
   

• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Task Force Convened by the Chairman of the Bishop’s Committee on Canonical Affairs, “A Resource for Canonical Processes for the Resolution of Complaints of Clerical Sexual Abuse of Minors,” November 2003.  
   

During the Pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI 

• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” June 2005; June 2011. 
   

• President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Essential Norms for Diocesan/Eparchial Policies Dealing with Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests or Deacons,” May 5, 2006.   
   

• Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “The Norms of the Motu Propio ‘Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela,’” May 21, 2010.  
   

During the Pontificate of Pope Francis  

• Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, ‘“Rescriptum Ex Audientia SS.MI” regarding the creation of a college, within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the examination of ecclesiastical appeals involving delicta graviora,” November 3, 2014. 
   

• The Supreme Pontiff Francis, “As a Loving Mother,” Apostolic Letter issued ‘Motu Proprio’, June 4, 2016.   
   

• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” June 2018. 
   

• The Supreme Pontiff Francis, “Vos Estis Lux Mundi,” Apostolic Letter issued ‘Motu Proprio’, May 7, 2019.  
   

• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Directives for the Implementation of the Provisions of Vos estis lux mundi Concerning Bishops and Their Equivalents; Affirming Our Episcopal Commitments; Protocol Regarding Available Non-Penal Restrictions on Bishops,” June 2019 
   

• Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, and Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Rescriptum Ex Audientia SS.MI” regarding amendments to the Normae de gravioribus delictis reserved to the judgment of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, December 3, 2019.  
   

• Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, “Rescriptum Ex Audientia SS.MI” on the Confidentiality of Legal Proceedings, December 6, 2019.  
   

• Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Vademecum” on certain points of procedure in treating cases of sexual abuse of minors committed by clerics, July 16, 2020. 
   

• Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretariat of State of the Holy See, “Report on the Holy See’s Institutional Knowledge and Decision-Making Related to Former Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick (1930 to 2017)”, November 10, 2020.  

• Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, "Norms on delicts reserved to the congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith," October 11, 2021.

• Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, "Vademecum" on certain points of procedure in treaty cases of sexual abuse committed by clerics, June 5, 2022, Ver. 2.0.