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1917 Code of Canon Law permitted sexual abuse instances by the clergy to be handled by the Congregation, for the Congregation to open cases itself, or for the Ordinary to handle judgement. In June, the USCCB established the "Charter for the Protection of kids and Young People", a comprehensive set of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. The "Guide to Understanding Basic CDF Procedures regarding Sexual Abuse Allegations" explain briefly the procedures which have been derived from the 1983 Code of Canon Law and put in place since 30 April (the identical day). In May, consistent with the 1983 Code of Canon Law and the 1990 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, a letter from the CDF was despatched to the Catholic bishops. On 17 December 2019, Pope Francis issued a canon law instruction "On the confidentiality of legal proceedings" lifting the "pontifical secret" in the instances referring to: violence or abuse of authority in forcing sexual acts, sexual abuse of minors or susceptible individuals, crimes of paedophilia involving youngsters underneath 18 years of age or with incapacitated topics and the concealment of those conducts from ecclesiastical or civil inquiries. Civil legislation regarding reporting of crimes to the appropriate authorities ought to always be followed. |
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