Learning from what he calls "the bitter lessons of the past," Pope Francis has issued the most comprehensive response of his papacy to the sex abuse crisis.
The new document requires bishops, priests and religious to report sexual abuse and cover-ups to church officials and sets up new procedures for investigating bishops.
It also tells bishops to follow local laws governing reporting of abuse to civil authorities.
This is a major step forward for the Vatican. In dealing with not only abuse but also cover-ups, the pope has responded to demands that bishops be held accountable for not protecting children from abusive priests. It also responds to those who complained that the February sex abuse summit in Rome, to which the pope called leading bishops from all over the world, was all talk and no action. Now Francis has acted.
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