Catholic Current – Week of July 20, 2023

On July 14, 2023, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection released the 2022 Annual Report – Findings and Recommendations on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. This is the twentieth such report since 2002 when the U.S. bishops established and adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, a comprehensive framework of procedures to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy and establish protocols to protect children and young people.

The international World Youth Day celebration takes place every 2-3 years, typically in the summer months and on a major scale. The next one of these will take place soon, from Tuesday to Sunday, August 1 to 6, 2023, in Lisbon, Portugal with millions of people and the Holy Father.  The U.S. Bishops invite all young people across the United States to be a part of this global event - in person, digitally, or stateside. Learn more at https://www.usccb.org/topics/world-youth-day/international-celebration.

On July 7, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the implementation of new family reunification parole (FRP) processes for nationals of Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Read the statement from Bishop Seitz, chair of the Committee on Migration, and the press release: https://www.usccb.org/news/2023/us-bishops-migration-chairman-responds-new-family-reunification-programs