Priests can no longer cite papal secrecy in abuse cases, the Vatican said Tuesday, the latest move by Pope Francis to combat silence surrounding paedophilia in the Roman Catholic church.
Critics say the secrecy laws have prevented priests and victims from reporting abuse, as well as hindered national justice systems prosecuting cases.The Vatican also announced on Tuesday that it was raising the age at which sexual images of a person were deemed child pornography from 14 to 18. We have a 1,2,3 day of Pope Francis' reforms on clergy sexual abuse: 1) abolishing of pontifical secret; 2) raising of age of what is considered child pornography; 3) resignation of Vatican's ambassador to France, who had been accused of misconduct."The person who files the report, the person who alleges to have been harmed and the witnesses shall not be bound by any obligation of silence with regard to matters involving the case," he wrote.
Marie Collins, a child sexual abuse survivor who in 2017 resigned from a Vatican committee she said was failing to adequately tackle paedophilia, welcomed the pope's latest move. g the committee had recommended the step."At last a real and positive change."
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