Why in the News?
Pope Francis on December 17, 2019 declared that the rule of “pontifical secrecy” no longer applies to the sexual abuse of minors, in a bid to improve transparency in such cases. The Church previously shrouded sexual abuse cases in secrecy, in what it said was an effort to protect the privacy of victims and reputations of the accused.
What is Pontifical Secret?
- Pontifical secrecy was designed to protect sensitive information such as communications between the Vatican and papal embassies – in a similar fashion to the secrecy applied to diplomatic cables.
- The rule was also applied over the years to judicial cases, to protect the privacy of victims and the identities of those accused.
- The Pope also changed the Vatican’s definition of child pornography, increasing the age of the subject from 14 or under to 18 or under. (Source: BBC)
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