VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis issued a groundbreaking law Thursday requiring all Catholic priests and nuns around the world to report clergy sexual abuse and cover-up by their superiors to church authorities, in an important new effort to hold the Catholic hierarchy accountable for failing to protect their flocks.
The law makes the world's 415,000 Catholic priests and 660,000 religious sisters mandated reporters. That means they are required to inform church authorities when they learn or have"well-founded motives to believe" that a cleric or sister has engaged in sexual abuse of a minor, sexual misconduct with an adult, possession of child pornography — or that a superior has covered up any of those crimes.
The law defines the crimes that must be reported as: performing sexual acts with a minor or vulnerable person; forcing an adult"by violence or threat or through abuse of authority, to perform or submit to sexual acts," and the production, possession or distribution of child pornography. Cover-up is defined as"actions or omissions intended to interfere with or avoid" civil or canonical investigations.
Victims and their advocates have long complained that bishops and religious superiors have escaped justice for having engaged in sexual misconduct themselves, or failed to protect their flocks from predator priests. Bishops and religious superiors are accountable only to the pope, and only a handful have ever been sanctioned or removed for sex abuse or cover-up, and usually only after particularly egregious misbehavior became public.
The law makes clear he can use lay experts to help, a key provision that is already used in many dioceses to give bishops expert advice on handling cases from people with law enforcement or medical backgrounds.
And to the police 👮♀️
Shouldn’t it be to the cops? Like tell them to dial 911 and get the fuckers locked up immediately?
Fuck that Pontiff, report them to the police. The church is too corrupt.
morgfair Wow!! That’s amazing! A papal law dictating common decency!! What next? Actually not diddling little kids ?
It should not need to be stated, but obviously it is needed to be stated.
Was that so hard to do? Do the right thing, for once....
ButchiesAZ How come mike pence didn’t pass this information along in his graduation speech yesterday?
When did Popes become the issuers of “laws?” Screw that! Victims need to call the police & the police need to, do their job & not allow these “religious cults” to cover up this crap. The fact this behavior has occurred/been covered up for decades, erodes it to a cult.
morgfair Legislatures need to make them mandatory reporters
It’s about time
I have read perhaps 20 - 30 headlines on this story. They all include the word 'groundbreaking'. That indicates a co-ordinated PR campaign. The Pope orders the clergy to report sex abuse. That's not groundbreaking, it's common sense.
Isnt that how it gets covered up? Shouldn't it be reported to the police?
How about reporting it to the police......🤬🤬🤬
Hate to point out the obvious, but that should have always been the rule. They have and have had a responsibility to these kids and their families and they failed.
👏🏻 They 👏🏻 should 👏🏻 be 👏🏻 reported 👏🏻 to 👏🏻 the 👏🏻 police!
This only took 70 years. What a first step.
I can’t believe the Pope has to tell priests and nuns to report this. It seems they should know you would say something if abuse was happening. Common sense. So sad what has happened in the Catholic Church.
Good news from the Pope! Why did you wait so long Lots of people suffered while you waited to speak👎!
Reasons I am no longer a Catholic: the fact that it is 2019 and this has to be made a “law” at all.
Well that makes all the difference Frank. Thanks to you now priests and nuns understand that assaulting children is wrong. Are you joking or are you the joke?
Pope needed a decree. Wouldn’t clergy just do that as a matter of conscience.
Right⁉️
Too little, and too late!
How about to the respective countrie’s justice system?
What about the police? Not enough
Wasn't it church authorities who caused the problem in the first place?
Putting a spotlight on the Catholic Church’s delusional response to stealing the lives of the innocent...
Why 👏🏾did 👏🏾this👏🏾 take 👏🏾so👏🏾 long?
He's about 30 years too late!!!!!!
How about reporting it to local police Now that's a novel idea!!!
Better late than never, I guess. How was this not day one stuff?
To the police!
Yes!! Amen!
In other words, all Catholic priests and nuns must NOT report clergy sexual abuse to the police...
Only 50 years late...
And then what
Teach your kids right from wrong read the Bible with them but keep them the fuck AWAY from the church!
But not to the police Lip service is not the same as doing something to actually stop raping children.
Pope Francis is full of crap. When he was on his USA tour where were the men who were guilty of molestation? Apologizing w/o them present is HYPOCRISY!
Why the hell are they not required to call the police? Everyone of them need charged.
And next decade the church will raise hemlines to the ankle. toolittletoolate
Who cares
WE DO HAVE LAWS ALREADY
Well that took FOREVER.
It was never that big a secret. And the church did nothing..
Ditto, this is a crock of s! This is why I'm no longer a Christian!
“Church authorities” not real authorities.... smh
Do they have to report to police? No? Then it’s meaningless.
But not to the police. Why not?
So there needs to be a law to ensure that clergy act like good human beings?
This is pathetic.
100+ years late; read the Bible for the correct answer as to what Paul said seeing too that you don't ordain signal men, 16 priest & think they will not be messing with Children after you been covering abuse & around 60+years!
Good man.
Same same bullshit! Abuse MUST be reported to police! No exemption for confessional! Remove tax exemption for Catholic church if they dont demand reporting to POLICE!
There’s no punishment for those who don’t.
Call the police! Do not stop...do not pass GO...call the freaking police!
It’s just another charade! Who’s going to report? There’s always a coverup.
2019 years later....
He just wants to know who the easy targets are.
Don’t call them mandated reporters if they cannot report to police. This is just another way to cover it up. “The law doesn't require them to report to police. The Vatican has long argued that doing so could endanger church in places where Catholics are a persecuted minority.”
OMG! Just think about this. Why the hell does this even need to be a rule or some stupid church law? Don’t you think any normal human being would report something as serious as sexual abuse in the first place!? This is why I am no longer Catholic.
And this has been going on for how long? Old habits are hard to change. They will just become more secretive. Remove celibacy and other sexual restrictions from LBGQT preferences. Highly controversial, but you want change and not what current happens.
There is a law needed for this? Isn’t it something that should be done anyway?
Here’s a thought. Why don’t they give all of that Vatican money to poor people 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨
Wow
I if they’re not concerned about religion how can they speak?
But not to the justice ? Come on...
It’s about time!
Only took about a thousand years... Literally.
Also known as following even the most basic laws of western society.
Agree with sentiment to report to police
This is not groundbreaking anything. This has been the rule for decades and in effect makes the Vatican the arbiter of whether a claim is valid or not. He should have said call the police first, then call us.
Or you could report it to a law enforcement like a normal person
Pope prays for divine help every day. Instead of asking help from others, Pope should pray to God that priests and nuns never indulge in sex. If God loves Pope He will fulfil Pope's prayer. If Pope is no better than us, these sex acts will continue. Give it a thought.
Yeah, no. How about, they follow the law the way the rest of us do, and report sexual abuse of children to the actual police. We don't need church authorities to pray for these sexual abusers and rapists. We need law enforcement to arrest them.
Too little too late
They issued a law! 2019 years later! This law already exists.. and they have been breaking it and out trust for 2 millennia
IT IS ABOUT TIME POPE FRANCIS WILL GO DOWN AS THE BEST POPE
Church authorities? That's what they've been doing. Church authorities are the ones covering it up... How about reporting to actual law enforcement authorities?
It may appear to be 'ground breaking' but the Church Authorities do not have to report the abuse to the police. It can still be hidden or delayed while the abuse continues.
I feel like this is ALREADY the law, but they just chose to not follow it?
This is already an actual civil law & is criminally punishable & has been covered up for many years...These poor children. It is shameful that Catholic priests & nuns have not been held accountable and charged with these crimes. Too little, too late?
How about reporting to law enforcement
It didn't matter then, why should it matter now?. The damage has already scorned the church and that's why their faith has diminished..
But he stopped short of saying to report alleged abuse to authorities
It’s illegal not to?
Not church authorities..police!!!
I Love this humble Pope who washes feet of the poor and homeless and will not allow anyone to kiss his ring.
Claro. Se nota que el Vaticano es excelente manejando esos casos. Con Marcial Maciel se tardaron solo 50 años.
No, not to church officials....to the police!
What a joke.
How abt reporting clergy sexual abuse to law enforcement.
👍👍🙏🙏🙏
What about the children?
Report sexual abuses inside the confessional? 😂😂😂
Reject all religious leaders. They are no more enlightened than you are.
'Farmer closes barn door decades after all the cattle are gone. News at eleven'. Sorry for the snark. This is among the worst global crimes of the past century. Overwhelming tragedy.
Advise for the pope and all Catholics....Allow your priests to marry, it may take the itch away.....
How about report it to the police.
I believe abuse should be reported to the police.
Sad but no surprise that the Catholic Church has this problem. They are not a true church and leading people to hell.
Report to police first
NDH_j_m_f Ok..Pope, you go first. Open Vatican records re sexual abuse.
So, this wasn’t already a “rule”?
How about report it to the police?
Pontifex How about reporting it the law inforcement also?!?
please help!!! May someone please help my son reach the goal to attend the national youth leadership business forum held at Yale University, any donation will be greatly appreciated thank you.
Now if we could only get Democrats to report on who used tax payer dollars for hush money to hide their sexual harassment. Perhaps could look in the basement for a “journalist” and investigate. Hahaha. I know. Good luck with that. 🙄🇺🇸
How about reporting this shit to the police.
Too late too little!
Not enough!
Wait... hold up! This was never ordered before now?!?!😳
And he was supposed to be the good one.🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
Tone deaf
KrisKetzKMBC How about to the police?
Get the police involved and lock up these criminals and those that protect them.
What a joke.
What a vortex
savedemocracy18 A novel idea. He should probably have someone taste his food for him from now on.
How about the actual authorities? The police.
Church authorities. The folks who've been actively covering up sex abuse since the crusades?
Does that include everything he knows, or is this a 'starting now' kind of thing?
Thought he was going to tell Catholics to wipe out Islamic terrorism by every means possible, but instead, he doesn't care about Catholics been slaughtered.
You mean it wasn't policy before?
Oh yea that’ll help 🙄
You do not understand how this changes your counciling. The trauma wil finally be done. Imagine that weight gone. It will finally be about right now. Less burn out.
Same shit. Nothing is done
This fine as far as it goes but they also need to report any sexual abuse to the police. Otherwise, higher ups could simply bury the information.
Long overdue, but it’s a start
From a man who believes in exorcism.
That's like telling wallstreet to report all those who blew up the housing market.
I am convinced the Catholic Church is the false prophet
40 Years Late
So they can sweep them further under the rug! Must report to civilian law enforcement.
What about reports to the police? The church has done zero to stem the tide. The police should be notified FIRST!
Finally something good from Vaticano
Sexual abuse by priests needs to be reported to the local law enforcement authorities. The Catholic Church has already shown many times over that they cannot be trusted on this issue.
The Great Controversy: Chapter (35) Liberty Of Conscience Threatened.
Call the POLICE IMMEDIATELY! It’s just plain COMMON SENSE!
To their superiors pawhahaha lmao lol yea howd that work out. The catholic church is a front for pedophilia priests
The Great Controversy: Chapter (35) Liberty Of Conscience Threatened.
And to law enforcement? It doesn’t mean much without criminal investigation.
Protecting kids is ground breaking? Maybe making reporting violence against children shouldn’t be called groundbreaking But instead- Long Overdue
Love look-in at all pedo priests
The Great Controversy: Chapter (29) The Origin Of Evil.
No one in the Catholic church is above the damned law! Report Pedophiles to local police & let them deal with it! Francis is telling the Pedos he'll protect them! CALL THE COPS OR PEDOHUNTERS!
It's sad and also mind-boggling that they did not already have a law requiring this.
Why does the self policing continue, and why does nobody explain this?
Thank you
Theres only one small problem with this law... the confessional and what is said is sacrosanct. It cannot be repeated nor can it be used in any court of law.
Imagine that, after all these centuries of tomfoolery.
Isn't that what good people would normally do?
They needed to be told to do this?
WAKEUPAMERICA FACTSMATTER SAVEAMERICA UNITEDNOTDIVIDED WWG1WGA
Why not the police. 911.
This should have never been a question.
The Great Controversy: Chapter (38) The Final Warning.
Uhm, like the second call, after they make the call to local authorities. Right?
The Great Controversy: Chapter (29) The Origin Of Evil. The Great Controversy: Chapter (38) The Final Warning.
What about reporting it to the POLICE
They should need to report it to the police and not the people that have covered up the abuse for decades!
Pope is a buffoon.
So supposedly the most “moral” among us have to be told to do the right thing because they weren’t doing it before? How can they even claim the mantle of morality and goodness? Moreover, how dare they judge others.
Uh, they are required to report it to the police.
Why not the police
Pontifex clock is ticking very fast. CrimesAgainstHumanity
They best report to the Police ~ They been messing with children since the inception
Sooo, the church policing itself because that's worked so well in the past. How about people reporting these crimes to the police first...then the media. The church can hear about it on the news like everyone else.
They should have a duty to report it to the police
How about calling the police
About time!.
Is this the onion? This is just happening now?
Uh... better late than never
Too little to late!
Sis this should have already been a law
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