Pope Francis has issued a new law requiring all Catholic priests and nuns around the world to report clergy sexual abuse and cover-ups by their superiors to church authorities. The move is part of a new effort to hold the Catholic hierarchy accountable for failing to protect their flocks. It is the latest effort by Francis to respond to the global eruption of the sex abuse and cover-up scandal that has devastated the credibility of the Catholic hierarchy and his own papacy. “It’s not just a law, but a profound responsibility.”The law makes the world’s 415,000 Catholic priests and 660,000 religious sisters mandated reporters. Now it is church law.

Source: The Irish Times May 09, 2019 12:22 UTC