DW (Deutsche Welle)
July 16, 2020
The Catholic Church issued new guidelines to the clergy, indicating they should contact police if there is suspected abuse. The Church had long opposed such an idea, saying it could lead to wrongful prosecution.
The Vatican published guidelines for bishops and other senior officials on Thursday on how to deal with child sex claims within the clergy.
The manual includes a form to be filled out detailing the alleged crime against minors. It also urged leaders to be serious about perceived small offenses and recommended going to the police, even if they were not legally required to do so.
It contains more than 160 guidelines for conduct, including not ignoring anonymous allegations, social media posts accusing a church member of misconduct, or allegations outside of the statute of limitations.
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