pontifical secret

Is Vatican anti-abuse task force ‘Tale of Two Cities’ or ‘Remembrance of Things Past’?
- Feb 29, 2020
The Vatican presented a new high-level task force Friday intended to help national and regional bishops’ conferences around the world, as well as religious orders, to develop and update their guidelines on child protection and the fight against abuse.

By John L. Allen Jr.
‘Pontifical secret’ still has role despite its abolition in sex abuse cases, expert says
- Dec 20, 2019
Despite Pope Francis’s decision on Tuesday to abolish pontifical secrecy in cases of abuse, experts have said the secret is still relevant, and serves the needs of confidentiality in several other areas of the Church.

By Elise Harris
UN rapporteur praises pope for reform of abuse secrecy
- Dec 19, 2019
The U.N. expert on child sexual abuse praised the Vatican’s decision to abolish the rule of “pontifical secret” for abuse cases and urged further reforms to ensure more justice for victims.

By Associated Press

Survivors, experts agree: End of pontifical secrecy a step toward transparency
- Dec 19, 2019
When Pope Francis in a landmark move eliminated the so-called “pontifical secret” in clerical abuse cases on Tuesday, the decision turns out to be at least one instance when the Vatican, clerical abuse survivors and experts in child protection all agree.

By Elise Harris
Ending pontifical secret a milestone, but there’s accountability beyond law
- Dec 18, 2019
For most American Catholics, the unfinished business of the abuse scandals isn’t cooperation with civil authorities, which, for the most part, has been a given for a couple of decades. It’s accountability for the cover-up as well as the crime.

By John L. Allen Jr.
Pope abolishes ‘pontifical secret’ in abuse cases, raises age for child porn
- Dec 17, 2019
Pope Francis issued two legal documents Tuesday, one loosening the degree of secrecy that applies to clerical abuse cases and the other raising the age for what constitutes child pornography to 18 and permitting lay people to act as advocates in abuse cases.

By Elise Harris