VATICAN TIGHTENS SEX ABUSE RULES

Top of the Agenda: Vatican Tightens Sex Abuse Rules

The Vatican tightened its rules for disciplining cases of alleged sex abuse (WSJ). The Vatican is also considering guidelines advising bishops how to report alleged cases to civil authorities and how to prevent abuse. But there is concern that forcing bishops to report all allegations could lead to false accusations in some countries. The measures double the statute of limitations for sex-abuse allegations to twenty years from a victim's eighteenth birthday, drop requirements that clerics act as judges in church trials, and allow the dismissal of time-intensive church trials to defrock abusive priests administratively instead. Victims' advocates criticized the revisions for not requiring bishops to report sexual abuse to civil authorities.

The revisions also said that ordaining women (NYT) was as grave an offense as pedophilia, punishable by defrocking, rather than excommunication. The move signaled the Vatican's resistance to the idea that pedophilia within the church can be addressed by ending its celibacy requirement or by allowing women to become priests.

Analysis:

A statement issued by the Women's Ordination Conference saysthe church's decision on ordaining woman “was made out of fear of our growing numbers. The Vatican is using this attempt to extinguish the widespread call for women's equality in the church.”

The new Vatican document was released just days after the Church of England voted in favor of legislation to consecrate women bishops (BBC), suggesting a pointed message to Anglicans.

Background:

This New York Times backgounder examines the role of sex abuse cases in the Roman Catholic church.