A new sex abuse legislation for Vatican city personnel and
the Holy See diplomats has been issued on Friday by Pope Francis.
With this development in the Vatican city, the Holy Father
has made good on his promise during the bishops’ meeting on sexual abuse in
February this year.
The new laws require the immediate reporting of abuse
allegations to Vatican prosecutors, and while their application is limited
geographically, the policy shift is intended to serve as a model for the
Catholic Church worldwide.
The mandatory reporting provision of the legislation marks
the first time the Vatican has put into law requirements for Catholic officials
to report allegations of sex crimes to police or face fines and possible jail
term.
Francis also issued child protection guidelines for the
Vatican City State and its youth seminary, acting after the global sex abuse
scandal exploded anew last year and The Associated Press reported that the
headquarters of the Catholic Church had no policy to protect children from
predator priests.
The child protection laws have been in the works for some
time, preceding the February summit called by the pope, notes CBS News producer
Anna Matranga in Rome.
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