Pope Francis updates 2019 law cracking down on sex abuse coverups
After realizing he had erred, Francis ordered up a full review of the Chilean abuse dossier, summoned the presidents of all the world’s bishops’ conferences to Rome for a four-day summit on safeguarding and set in motion plans for a new law to hold senior churchmen to account for abuse and cover-ups, and to mandate the reporting to relevant church authorities of all cases.
The law also mandates all church personnel to report allegations of clergy abuse in-house, though it doesn’t mandate reporting of abuse by lay leaders and refrains from requiring any reporting to police. The new law expands whistleblower protections and reaffirms the presumption of innocence and the need to protect the reputation of those accused.
The pope recently warned there was a “clear and present danger” of abuse in areas with fewer financial resources. Survivors have long complained that the Vatican spent decades turning a blind eye to bishops and religious superiors who moved predator priests around from parish to parish rather than report them to police.
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