No more secrets? Pope Francis drops obligation of silence over clerical sexual abuse of minors
Pope Francis has abolished the Catholic Church’s ‘pontifical secrecy’ in cases of clerical sexual abuse of minors in a major reform of canon law. The rule had been heavily criticized for protecting abusers and silencing victims.
The pontiff issued two new documents on Tuesday changing how the Church handles abuse cases involving minors and vulnerable persons. They ban the imposition of silence on people who report sexual abuses, as well as raising the cutoff age for porn to be considered child pornography.
The Pope’s predecessor Benedict XVI decreed in 2001 that information in abuse cases must be covered by ‘pontifical secrecy’ to protect the privacy of the victim and the reputation of the accused. However, the move – the Church’s highest form of secrecy – has been heavily criticized for decades by victims for covering up abuses and preventing prosecution.
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