Pope Francis has tightened the rules for preventing sexual abuse within the Church. The new law will also apply to non-spiritual leaders. The pope also emphasized that not only children, but also adults can be victims of abuse.
The originally temporary law took effect in 2019. The rules are now becoming permanent and expanded to include non-spiritual leaders within the church.
In 2019, the law was praised for introducing a mechanism for reporting sexual abuse within the church. But there was also criticism: the law would not be transparent enough. For example, bishops must report abuse within the church, but they do not have to report it to the police.
Initially, the duty to report only applied to abuse of children and adults with an intellectual disability. That definition has been expanded and is now fixed. According to the pope, other vulnerable adults can also become victims of abuse if they cannot consent to sexual acts.
Whistleblowers are better protected in the new law.
