On Saturday, Pope Francis issued a papal decree establishing a legal procedure for removing bishops for negligence, especially regarding child sexual abuse. Bishops can already be ousted for "grave reasons," the pope noted, but the new rules specify that prelates can be sacked for causing "grave harm" to people or communities — be it physical, moral, financial, or spiritual — through their actions or inaction. When sex abuse of children or "vulnerable adults" is involved, the negligence need only be "serious," and the bishop needn't be morally guilty. Catholic bishops "must undertake a particular diligence in protecting those who are the weakest among their flock," Francis wrote in the Apostolic Letter motu propio.
Advocates for victims of sexual abuse, and many Catholics, have been seeking greater accountability for bishops, some of whom quietly shuffled accused abuser priests to other parishes. Only the pope can remove a bishop, and Francis also set up a "college of jurists" to advise him on individual cases.
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