Pope Francis speeds up priest sex abuse appeals

Straits Times
November 11, 2014

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/world/europe/story/pope-francis-speeds-priest-sex-abuse-appeals-20141111

VATICAN CITY (AFP) - Pope Francis has created a new commission to speed up the appeal process for priests found guilty by the Church of child sex abuse, the Vatican said Tuesday.

"The number of appeals has lead to a backlog of work," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told journalists, without specifying how many cases are currently being examined.

Speeding up the process would see sex abusers handed a definitive conviction more quickly, as well as helping innocent priests eager to clear their names.

The new commission, made up of seven cardinals and bishops, will work for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), which currently oversees such appeals.