U.S. dioceses observe Child Abuse Prevention Month

Bishop Barry Knestout of Richmond, Virginia, urged vigilance in child protection, and Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago posted a video message about the monthʼs observance on behalf of U.S. bishops.

Dioceses nationwide are observing National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Cardinal Blase Cupich and Bishop Barry Knestout are urging renewed vigilance and commitment to the protection of children.

In a video message on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Cupich reflected with gratitude on the bishops’ adoption of the 2002 “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” while Knestout separately emphasized April as a time for prayer, education, and recommitment to the well‑being of the young.

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Cupich described the bishops’ enactment of the 2002 “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” in the video as “something important and that I’m really proud of.”

“When I look back at the 50 years of being a priest and 27 years as a bishop, one of the things that I am so pleased happened during my time was a means by which the Church would come together in this country and protect and defend those who suffered abuse,” the Chicago archbishop said.

“I was the chair of the Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People but also was involved in the 2002 moment in which, in Dallas, we enacted the charter,” Cupich said.

“And then, of course, when we released the studies by the John Jay School of Criminal Justice, I was the chair of that committee,” he said.

“So, I think that is an important contribution for the life of the Church that I really embrace as something important and that Iʼm proud of,” he said.

Cupich was serving on the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse in 2002 when the abuse crisis hit and was part of the group that helped draft the charter. The Ad Hoc Committee was established in 1993 by the then-National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) after the conference had been “dealing with the subject of sexual abuse by clergy since the mid-1980s.”

The 2002 charter mandated the creation of a permanent USCCB Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, which Cupich led from 2008 to 2011.

A call for vigilance

“In the protection of children and young people from abuse, it is important for all of us who work or minister to youth to remain vigilant in our efforts of protection and education,” Knestout, who serves as chair of the committee, told EWTN News.

“This annual reminder to recommit and refocus our attention on the physical, intellectual, and spiritual well-being of the young is also an important reminder that, as we continue to walk with survivors in their healing, we are called to continual improvement,” he said.

Knestout noted that each April, dioceses are called to observe National Child Abuse Prevention Month “by praying for victim survivors and their families.”

“We do this in different ways, such as at Mass, or with a special rosary with these intentions,” he said. “Protecting children and youth is a vital part of the Church’s ongoing ministry throughout the year, but April provides us with an occasion for our diocesan safe environment office to share information about our child protection practices with the people of the diocese, ensuring that it remains a core value for our ministry.”

The USCCB’s poster from the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection for National Child Abuse Prevention Month 2026 includes messages such as “Every Child Matters — Make a Difference,” as well as “Let’s stand up for children!” and “Learn how we can all keep children safe.”