The Vatican on Tuesday announced changes to its Code of Canon Law as the Catholic Church continues to "address gaps in its response to" its decades-long sexual abuse scandal, The New York Times reports. The Tablet's Christopher Lamb called Pope Francis' revision "the most significant ... since the current code was approved in 1983" by Pope John Paul II.
The update does include a few rules that were already in effect, but others are appearing for the first time, or have been extended, Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru, the Secretary of the Pontifical Council of Legislative Texts told Vatican News. "For example, the offense of abuse of minors or violence is applied not only with regard to clerics but also in relation to religious and lay people who carry out some kind of office or function in the Church," he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
When families cross the aisle against presidential candidatesIn The Spotlight Tim Walz's cousins, Donald Trump's niece and nephew, RFK Jr.'s siblings: When it comes to running for office, blood is not necessarily thicker than water
-
Boeing's Starliner to come home emptySpeed Read Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore will return on a SpaceX spacecraft in February
-
Hunter Biden pleads guilty to tax chargesSpeed Read In an unexpected move, President Joe Biden's son pleads guilty to tax fraud and avoids a trial
-
Pope urges climate action, unity at Jakarta mosqueSpeed Read The pope and the mosque's top cleric signed a joint declaration encouraging religious tolerance and climate change action
-
Strident Pope Francis critic faces schism trialSpeed Read Carlo Maria Viganò called for the resignation of Pope Francis in 2018
-
Pope apologizes for reported homophobic slurSpeed Read Pope Francis reportedly used a vulgar term for gay men in a closed-door meeting
-
The Vatican's stand on gender-affirming careSpeed Read A new published document condemns gender transition, calling it a threat to human dignity
-
The potential consequences of Pope Francis' call for a ban on surrogacyTalking Points Francis called the practice 'despicable' and a 'commercialization' of pregnancy
-
The Vatican's same-sex blessing approval: What is Pope Francis doing?Today's Big Question The pope rocked the Catholic world by giving the green light to blessing same-sex couples, with plenty of caveats
-
The Vatican half-embraces transgender Catholic godparents, wedding witnessesUnder the Radar Pope Francis signed off on a series of clarifications about the roles LGBTQ Catholics can play in the church, with ample theological fine print
-
The Pope, the ‘false prophet’, and the battle for Argentinafeature Opinion has been split on whether the pontiff's intervention into politics in his home nation is appropriate
