Catholic Church: Pope expands measures against abuse

Status: 03/25/2023 5:19 p.m

Almost four years after the enactment of stricter measures against sexual abuse in the Church, the Vatican is expanding the rules: In future, these will also apply to lay people who lead “international associations of believers”.

The Vatican has extended the reporting requirement for sexual abuse in the Catholic Church to lay people working for Vatican-approved organizations. According to an apostolic exhortation promulgated in the form of a “motu proprio” by Pope Francis, “lay persons who are or have been presidents of international associations of the faithful recognized or established by the Apostolic See” will in future also be held responsible for sexual abuse in the Church. canonically responsible.

They, too, are now liable to prosecution if, through “their actions or omissions, they obstruct or circumvent the canonical and civil investigations” against suspected criminals. With this expansion, the Pope is reacting to suspected cases in so-called spiritual movements, which are not led by clerics but by lay people.

Rules are scheduled to come into effect on April 30

In addition, the obligation to report now also applies to abuse committed against “vulnerable” adults. According to the Catholic news agency KNA, the document defines “vulnerable adult” as “any person in a state of infirmity, physical or mental impairment, or deprivation of personal liberty, which reduces their capacity for discernment or will, or their ability to adapt to the to oppose a criminal offence, permanently or temporarily factually restricted”.

Accordingly, the regulations on contact points for those affected and those reporting possible cases of abuse have also been specified. Bishoprics must now provide easily accessible “facilities or offices”. The previous version only required the establishment of permanent “systems”.

According to the new motu proprio, witnesses of alleged abuse may not be bound to secrecy. So far, this rule only applied to potential victims. Investigations into reported incidents must be conducted by the bishop or appropriate church official in the place where the alleged acts took place. The updated Pope’s decree will come into effect on April 30th.

Letter updated from 2019

The new text is an update of a 2019 apostolic exhortation entitled “Vos estis lux mundi” (You are the light of the world), with which Francis already obliges all church officials – bishops, priests and other clergy – among others , to report suspected cases of sexual abuse within the Church. In addition, attempts within the church to cover up sexual assaults by priests or other officials have had to be reported since then. The 2019 letter had placed a particular focus on “minors” and “vulnerable persons” and the production, performance, possession or distribution of “child pornographic material”.

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