(Reuters/NAN) Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, on Thursday, announced that henceforth, bishops would be accountable for sexual abuses or cover ups in their jurisdictions.
The pronouncement, which signalled a change in Catholic Church law makes reporting of sexual cases obligatory for clerics and allows anyone to complain directly to the Vatican if necessary.
The papal decree, which covers abuse of children and adults, also obliges every Catholic diocese in the world to set up simple and accessible reporting systems and encourages local churches to involve lay experts in investigations.
The decree, whose preparation was reported first by Reuters in April, is the second such papal provision since a summit on abuse by senior Church bishops at the Vatican in February.
It sets time limits for local investigations and the Vatican’s response to them and allows for retroactive reporting.
It also says bishops with conflicts of interest should recuse themselves from…
Source: News Agency of Nigeria
