Agence France-Presse via The Journal
July 16, 2020
The new advice says bishops “should” report claims – but critics have said it should be mandatory.
The Vatican has released guidelines for bishops and other senior officials on dealing with clerical child sex abuse claims, clarifying rules on tackling a decades-old scandal plaguing the church.
The manual, which includes a form to be filled out detailing the alleged crime against minors, does not include any new laws but was drawn up after Pope Francis called for the procedures to be laid out step-by-step, it said.
It strengthened advice to officials on reporting claims to civil authorities, saying they “should” do so, even if not obliged to by law in the country in question, especially if necessary to protect the person involved or other minors.
Previous official guidelines have told clerics to follow local laws on whether claims should be reported to police.
Critics of the church have long insisted bishops and others should be ordered, not merely urged, to report crimes.
“While this language is incrementally stronger than the Vatican’s usual rhetoric, the difference doesn’t matter. This is merely a manual – it carries no weight under church law,” said Anne Doyle, co-director of the abuse tracking site Bishop Accountability.
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