New Provisions of Canon Law on the Sexual Abuse of Minors and Vulnerable Adults: A Textual Study with a Pastoral Perspective

Abstract

The penal norms of both the Latin (CIC) and the Eastern (CCEO) Codes were revised recently by Pope Francis: CIC through the apostolic constitution Pascite gregem Dei on 1 June 2021, and CCEO through motu proprio Vocare peccatores on 20 March 2023. In the revised texts of the Codes, canons 1398 and 1362 §1, 2° of CIC, and canons 1453 §§5-7 and 1152 §2, 2° of CCEO deal with the delict of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. The first part of this paper is a textual study of the latest norms on the delict of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults, the corresponding penalties, and the procedure to be followed in dealing with this crime. The second part of the paper presents three pastoral observations regarding the topic: a) the need for clarity about the concept of vulnerable adults, b) the peculiar nature of the relationship among the faithful, clerics, and the ecclesiastical judicial authority, and c) the challenges emerging from the parallel ecclesiastical and civil judicial procedures.