Pope Francis has issued new rules for bishop accountability that give the Voice of the Faithful Church reform movement hope that accountability for cover-ups may at last be applied.
With his motu proprio (apostolic letter) “Like a Loving Mother,” issued June 4, Pope Francis has refined the definition of harm that could be the basis for removing a bishop. In the letter’s preamble, he writes: “The Canon law already provides for the possibility of removal from office ecclesiastical ‘for serious reasons’ … In this letter I intend to point out that among those “grave reasons” includes the negligence of the bishops in the exercise of their office, in particular in relation to cases of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults …”
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