Pope Francis issues strict new child abuse legislation for Vatican City requiring immediate reporting of incidents
- Move comes amid a wave of child sex abuse allegations in the church across the globe
Pope Francis issued stringent child abuse legislation for Vatican City employees on Friday, as part of the Church’s bid to address a wave of sex abuse allegations against priests.
The legislation requires officials and employees in the Vatican City State as well the Roman Curia, the central administration of the Catholic Church, to immediately report any abuse against minors and vulnerable people or face fines or a prison sentence.
Anyone convicted of abuse must be “removed from office” under the new rules, which set a statute of limitations for such crimes at 20 years from the date victims turn 18.
Francis said in a letter released with his “motu proprio” decree that it was the duty of everyone “to generously welcome children and vulnerable persons, and to create a safe environment for them”.
Previous church guidelines on handling sexual abuse cases did not cover officials and employees in Vatican City or the Curia.