Pope Francis issues new global mandates

Pope Francis issued new global rules mandating all congregations put a system in place for reporting abuse and cover-ups. The new rules follow a global meeting on sex abuse at the Vatican in February where Pope Francis promised to establish concrete measures to combat sexual abuse in the Church. There has not previously been an effective and efficient system for reporting and investigating sexual abuse before. Many are praising the revolutionary new measures of the Catholic Church.

Catholic congregations around the world are required to have a “public and accessible” system set in place by June 1^st, 2020. Investigations are also required to follow up credible reports within 90 days, and a protection clause establishes that no person reporting abuse can be threatened or harmed into silence. Although the regulations offer an important clarification of procedures, they do not lay out what happens to a priest or bishop who breaks these rules.