In a monumental change in Catholic church law, Pope Francis has approved revisions to the penalties for sexual abuse of minors and pornography. The church’s penal system had been in place since the 1980s. With the recent rewrite, the laws will provide for stricter and clearer penalties for clergy members who abuse minors and vulnerable populations, including “deprivation from office” and potential defrocking. These changes are the result of years of efforts to more clearly define sex crime punishments.
If you or a loved one are a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, you may be able to file a civil lawsuit to hold the offending individual or institution responsible.
