In the primary shift, Pope Francis rewrote church laws. It will criminalize abuses of adults by priests who sometimes misuse their authority. And laypeople who hold church office cab also be charged for such crimes.
The laws were released after careful analysis and investigation compiled by the authorities for over 14 years. The revised criminal law section is the Vatican’s code of canon law which governs 1.4 million Catholic church members, and this law operates independently from civil laws.
The new law is the overhaul after nearly 40 years. New rules will make sexual abuses, preparing young for sex activities, possessing child pornography, and covering up any abuse will be considered a criminal offense under Vatican law.
Pope Francis further specified that Vatican laws aim to “reduce the number of cases in which the… penalty was left to the discretion of authorities”.
The Catholic church has reported many cases of abuse by adults in other activities, and Vatican law is one step in stopping them. There were coverups by a clergyman about the abuses of priests globally, and victims often criticized laws for motivating them further.
Previous catholic laws were outdated and protected higher authorities, and were open to interpretation.
The new Vatican aw will replace Pope John Paul II’s last updated rules in 1983. New Vatican laws will be precise and more specific language and warning bishops to take action if he comes across any complaints.
The new rules will also prevent the directive of women, recording any confessions, and committing fraud in the future.
Previously there was no provision of complaints against abuse of power by authorities.
But this new law will put a stop to abuse which earlier gave consent on their age. The code says a priest can lose their position if they used “force, threats or abuse of his authority” to engage in sexual acts.
