Vatican Changes Laws On Sexual Abuse, Money Laundering
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Pope Francis unveiled changes to Vatican City's legal system on Thursday, criminalizing sexual violence against children and child pornography as well as establishing penalties for leaking confidential Vatican City information.
Vatican City/via Flickr Creative Commons
The Vatican also indicated that it would support international laws against money laundering and terrorism, as part of several international treaties that the Holy See, the official representation for the Vatican at the United Nations, has signed and ratified.
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has requested that the Vatican provide information on how it handles children's rights abuses, including sexual abuse cases, according to The Globe and Mail.
The Vatican is set to meet with the CRC next January to discuss the information and requests.
The legal changes were issued in Pope Francis's first "Moto Proprio," a directive that the pope establishes similar to an executive order, and continue efforts by Pope Francis to reform the Vatican's legal system amidst several scandals.
The anti-money laundering laws come in response to an investigation by Italian prosecutors into the Vatican's banking system and issues surrounding transparency and illegal banking and trafficking activities.
The changes in the law only apply within the Vatican City state, which is only about 110 acres, and not the canon law which covers the Catholic Church worldwide. The new changes affect over 5,000 clergy and lay people who live or work in the Vatican.
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