Pope Francis on Saturday extended a 2019 law to combat sexual abuse in the Church by making Catholic leaders responsible for actions taken in Vatican-approved bodies.
The letter, sent immediately by the pope, also said that vulnerable adults could become victims of predatory priests – adding a vulnerability clause. Earlier versions only spoke of minors and vulnerable people.
“The updated text defines that ‘faithful persons who are moderators of international associations of the faithful recognized or created by the Holy See (responsible) for the actions they take’ while in office”, the Vatican said in a statement. .
The new law will come into effect on April 30.
“The document includes, and continues to include, not only abuse and violence against children and vulnerable adults, but also includes sexual violence and harassment resulting from the abuse of authority,” the Vatican said.
From Ireland to Germany and the United States, dealing with child sex abuse scandals by Catholic priests has been one of the Pope’s biggest challenges.
At first, things did not go well, with the 2014 commission to protect minors ruined by the resignation of two key members, while in 2018, his defense of a Chilean priest accused of covering up abuse caused a backlash.
The Pope created a commission for the protection of minors which was later incorporated into the Curia. In 2019, he held an unprecedented summit that heard from victims and he promised an “all-out battle” against clerical abuse.
Concrete changes followed, from opening the Vatican archives to lay courts to making it mandatory to report suspected abuses and attempts to cover them up to Church authorities.
However, whatever is said in the confessional box remains sacred.