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A30 world news
Diaranson 2 Juni 2021

Vatican law criminalizes abuse of adults by priests, laity

(AP) — Pope Francis has offices, such as the founders
changed Catholic Church of lay religious movements
law to explicitly crimi- or even parish accountants
nalize the sexual abuse and administrators, the new
of adults by priests who law says laypeople can be
abuse their authority and punished if they abuse their
to say that laypeople who authority to engage in sexual
hold church office also or financial crimes.
can be sanctioned for sim-
ilar sex crimes. Since these laypeople can’t be
defrocked, penalties include
The new provisions, re- losing their jobs, paying fines
leased Tuesday after 14 years or being removed from their
of study, were contained in communities.
the revised criminal law sec-
tion of the Vatican’s Code But Kurt Martens, a canon
of Canon Law, the in-house A bishop can be removed sidered any sexual relations rank-and-file member of the lawyer and professor at Cath-
legal system that covers the from office for “culpable between a priest and an adult church who is a victim of a olic University of America,
1.3 billion-member Catholic negligence” or if he does not as sinful but consensual, be- priest who abused his au- wondered how the church
Church and operates inde- report sex crimes to church lieving that adults are able thority. would enforce the payment
pendently from civil laws. authorities, although the can- to offer or refuse consent of fines, suggesting the pen-
on law foresees no punish- purely by the nature of their That provision is contained alty might be an example of
The most significant changes ment for failing to to report age. But amid the #MeToo in a section detailing viola- “wishful thinking” on the
are contained in two articles, suspected crimes to police. movement and scandals of tions of the priest’s obligation Vatican’s part.
1395 and 1398, which aim to seminarians and nuns being to remain celibate. Another
address shortcomings in the Ever since the 1983 code first sexually abused by their su- section of the law concerns “You can have the most per-
church’s handling of sexual was issued, lawyers and bish- periors, the Vatican has come priestly crimes against the fect legislation and the lousi-
abuse. The law recognizes ops have complained it was to realize that adults can be dignity of others, including est enforcement,” Martens
that adults, not only children, inadequate for dealing with victimized, if there is a power sexual abuse of minors and said in a phone interview.
can be victimized by priests the sexual abuse of minors imbalance in the relationship. vulnerable adults. “Unlike civil authorities,
who abuse their authority. since it required time-con- That dynamic was most clear- what is the power of the
The revisions also say that suming trials. Victims and ly recognized in the scandal The law doesn’t explicitly de- church to enforce penalties
laypeople holding church po- their advocates, meanwhile, over ex-Cardinal Theodore fine which adults are covered, she ultimately chooses to en-
sitions, such as school prin- argued the code left too McCarrick, the former arch- saying only an adult who “ha- force?”
cipals or parish economists, much discretion in the hands bishop of Washington. Even bitually has an imperfect use
can be punished for abusing of bishops who had an inter- though the Vatican knew for of reason” or for “whom the The need for such a lay-fo-
minors as well as adults. est in covering up for their years he slept with his semi- law recognizes equal protec- cused provision was made
priests. narians, McCarrick was only tion.” Arrieta said the Vatican clear in the scandal involving
The Vatican also criminalized put on trial after someone chose not to define precisely Luis Figari, the lay founder
priests “grooming” minors or The Vatican issued piecemeal came forward saying Mc- who is covered but noted of the Peru-based Sodalitium
vulnerable adults to compel changes over the years to Carrick had abused him as a that the Vatican previously Christianae Vitae, a conser-
them to engage in pornogra- address problems and loop- youth. Francis eventually de- defined vulnerable adults as vative movement that has
phy. The update represents holes, most significantly re- frocked McCarrick in 2019. those who even occasionally 20,000 members and chap-
the first time church law quiring all cases to be sent to are unable to understand or ters throughout South Amer-
has officially recognized as a the Holy See for review and According the new law, consent because of an physi- ica and the U.S.
criminal act the method used allowing for a more stream- priests who engage in sexual cal or mental deficiency or
by sexual predators to build lined administrative process acts with anyone — not just a are deprived of their personal An independent investiga-
relationships with victims to defrock a priest if the evi- minor or someone who lacks liberty. tion concluded Figari was a
they have targeted for sexual dence against him was over- the use of reason — can be paranoid narcissist obsessed
exploitation. whelming. defrocked if they used “force, The Rev. Davide Cito, a with sex and watching his
threats or abuse of his au- canon lawyer at the Pontifi- underlings endure pain and
The new law, which is set More recently, Francis passed thority” to engage in sexual cal Holy Cross University, humiliation. But the Vatican
to take effect on Dec. 8, also new laws to punish bishops acts. Previously the Vatican said the broadness of the law and local church dithered for
removes much of the discre- and religious superiors who only considered it a crime “allows it to protect many years on how to sanction him
tion that long allowed bish- failed to protect their flocks. if the priest used force or people” who might not nec- since he wasn’t a priest and
ops and religious superiors The new criminal code in- threats, and lumped the pro- essarily fall under the strict couldn’t be defrocked - the
to ignore or cover up abuse, corporates those changes and vision alongside sexual abuse definition of “vulnerable” but worst penalty foreseen for
making clear those in posi- goes beyond them, while also of a minor. are nevertheless deserving of sexual abusers.
tions of authority will be recognizing accused priests protection.
held responsible if they fail to are presumed innocent until Monsignor Juan Ignacio Ar- Ultimately the Vatican de-
properly investigate or sanc- proven otherwise. rieta, secretary of the Vati- In a novelty aimed at address- cided to remove him from
tion predator priests. can’s legal office, said the ing sex crimes committed by Peru and isolate him from
The Vatican has long con- new version would cover any laypeople who hold church the community.

Canada OKs vaccine change between 1st, 2nd dose

(AP) - Canada’s National The advice affects more than of vaccine-induced throm- and Spain. mixing and matching differ-
Advisory Committee on two million Canadians who botic thrombocytopenia have ent types of vaccines is not
Immunization says people received the Oxford-Astra- been diagnosed and five peo- NACI’s published report says only safe but may produce a
who got the Oxford-As- Zeneca vaccine before prov- ple have died. AstraZeneca recipients can better immune response.
traZeneca vaccine for the inces stopped using it for first Several European countries be offered the same vaccine if The guidance is not binding
first dose can be offered doses last month. The vac- are giving Pfizer or Moder- they want it, or can be given but most provincial govern-
either Pfizer-BioNTech cine is potentially linked to na as second doses to Astra- either Pfizer or Moderna. ments have indicated they
or Moderna for the sec- a rare but serious blood clot- Zeneca recipients, including They say they are basing their were waiting for the informa-
ond. ting syndrome. In Canada, 41 Denmark, Finland, France, advice on the risk of VITT, tion before setting their poli-
confirmed or suspected cases Germany, Sweden, Norway and emerging evidence that cies for second doses.