ROCHESTER (NY)
WXXI/WSKG News
May 10, 2019
Pope Francis issued new church regulations this week that will change the way that the Catholic Church handles sexual abuse claims internally. The papal law has many requirements including mandating all church leaders to report sex abuse and cover-ups to other church leaders. It also requires the adoption of a new anonymous reporting system to be available at all dioceses.
Tim Thibodeau is a professor of history at Nazareth College. He studies the Catholic Church in depth. His reading of the document said that civil and criminal laws apply once the instances are reported to church leadership.
“As far as the investigation of a credible claim, I do think this has some teeth, but in the end this is not the criminal justice system. You’re not talking about going to the DA’s office. You’re going to a bishop’s office or archbishop’s office,” said Thibodeau. “I think it’s a remarkable document in the sense that it’s been four years in the making. And I think it’s been a long awaited and much needed solution to a huge problem.”
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