Pope Francis has changed Roman Catholic Church law to explicitly criminalize the sexual abuse of adults by priests and to say that laypeople who hold church office can also be sanctioned for similar sex crimes. The most significant changes are contained in two articles, 1395 and 1398, which aim to address major shortcomings in the church’s handling of sexual abuse. The Vatican also criminalized the “grooming” of minors or vulnerable adults by priests compelling them to look at pornography. Ever since the 1983 code was issued, lawyers and bishops have complained that it was completely inadequate to deal with the sexual abuse of minors, since it required time-consuming trials. Another section of the law concerns priestly crimes against the dignity of others, including sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 01, 2021 11:37 UTC