ST. LOUIS (AP) - The Archbishop of St. Louis says he will strengthen the process for reporting sexual abuse by clergy in the wake of a
new church law announced Thursday by Pope Francis.The pope's announcement requires priests and nuns around the world to report clergy sexual abuse and cover-ups by their superiors to church authorities. It's the latest effort by Francis to respond to the sex abuse and cover-up scandal within the Catholic Church.
The protection of the innocent and the vulnerable in @archstl is of the utmost importance.The new processes will work to prevent all abuse and will ensure transparency and accountability at all levels in responding to reports of abuse. #CatholicSTLhttps://t.co/tEmC6itfcP
— Archbishop Carlson (@abp_carlson)
May 9, 2019 St. Louis Archbishop Robert J. Carlson says the new processes will help prevent abuse and ensure transparency.A spokesman says the archdiocese is continuing to work with outside investigators to develop a list of clergy who have been credibly accused of abuse over the years. The archdiocese has not said when that list will be complete.
The groundbreaking new law provides whistleblower protections for anyone making a report and requires all dioceses to have a system in place to receive the claims confidentially. And it outlines internal procedures for conducting preliminary investigations when the accused is a bishop, cardinal or religious superior.
It's the latest effort by Francis to respond to the global sex abuse and cover-up scandal that has devastated the credibility of the Catholic hierarchy and his own papacy. And it provides a new legal framework for U.S. bishops as they prepare to adopt accountability measures next month to respond to the scandal there.
"People must know that bishops are at the service of the people," said Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the Vatican's longtime sex crimes prosecutor. "They are not above the law, and if they do wrong, they must be reported."
