Vos estis lux mundi

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pope coat of arms of Francis

Vos estis lux mundi ( German : You are the light of the world ( Mt 5,14  EU )) is the title of an apostolic letter from Pope Francis , which he signed in the form of a motu proprios on May 7, 2019. The letter was published on May 9, 2019 and contains canonical rules and instructions to combat " sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church ". It is initially valid for three years.

occasion

Since the uncovering of sexual abuse of people by priests , religious and educators in the Roman Catholic Church , the Pope and the bishops have tried to deal with the grievances since 1990 . In 2014, Francis set up the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors , which consists of 17 people. In June 2016, Pope Francis, with the Apostolic Letter Like a Loving Mother, regulated the removal of bishops, eparches and religious superiors who cover up, keep quiet or do not react appropriately to sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. This was followed in February 2019 by a conference on sexual abuse in the church, at which the chairmen of the bishops' conferences and an additional 70 other participants met. In March 2019, the Pope published a set of rules to protect children from sexual abuse. This decree , however, is limited to the Vatican State . With “Vos estis lux mundi” there is now a decisive decree with effects on canon law . Since it is a universal ecclesiastical legal writing, this motu proprio has a far-reaching meaning.

shape

In terms of form, the arrangement consists of a greeting, followed by 2 titles , which in turn are divided into 19 articles with paragraphs . The Apostolic Letter was signed by Francis on May 7, 2019 and promulgated in L'Osservatore Romano . It came into force on June 1, 2019 and was then published in the Official Journal . It is a universal church law and approved for three years " ad experimentum " .

structure

TITLE 1 GENERAL PROVISIONS

  • Art. 1 Scope (§§ 1–2)
  • Art. 2 Acceptance of reports and data protection (§§ 1–4)
  • Art. 3 reports (§§ 1–5)
  • Art. 4 Protection of those who make the report (§§ 1–3)
  • Art. 5 Care for the people (§§ 1–2)

TITLE 2 PROVISIONS REGARDING BISHOPS AND EQUAL EQUITIES

  • Art. 6 Subject-related scope (a – d)
  • Art. 7 Dicastery responsible (§§ 1–3)
  • Art. 8 Procedure to be used in the event of a report about a bishop of the Latin Church (§§ 1–3)
  • Art. 9 Procedure to be used against bishops of the Eastern Churches (§§ 1–6)
  • Art. 10 Initial duties of the metropolitan (§§ 1–2)
  • Art. 11 Transfer of the investigation to a person other than the Metropolitan (Sections 1–2)
  • Art. 12 Conducting the investigation (§§ 1–9)
  • Art. 13 Inclusion of qualified persons (§§ 1–4)
  • Art. 14 Duration of the investigation (§§ 1–2)
  • Art. 15 Preventive measures
  • Art. 16 Establishment of a fund (§§1–2)
  • Art. 17 Transmission of the files and the vote (§§1–3)
  • Art. 18 Subsequent measures
  • Art. 19 Compliance with state laws

reviews

"Victims' associations, politicians and numerous bishops had demanded it - now Pope Francis has passed a new, drastically tightened law in the fight against abuse: It regulates new criminal charges, introduces a worldwide obligation to notify - and for the first time regulates the investigation into bishops who cover up."

This was an initial summary statement, and the letter was generally met with positive approval. The representative of the German Bishops' Conference for questions of sexual abuse in the church area and for questions of child and youth protection, Bishop Stephan Ackermann stated:

"The Motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi, signed on May 7, 2019, continues the series of documents with which Pope Francis, as the universal church legislature, wants to continue the fight against sexual abuse by church officials more consistently and precisely than before."

Francis emphatically points out the mandate, duty and responsibility of the bishops and underlines this with the appeal to the dogmatic constitution " Lumen Gentium " (27). For the Roman Catholic Church , the canonical instructions are based on the Codex Iuris Canonici (CIC) and for the Eastern Catholic Churches on the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium (CCEO). They include an indispensable reporting obligation , the delimitation of areas of responsibility, responsibility, the dicasteries , notarial cooperation, the duty to tell the truth, maintaining the secrecy of confession and the establishment of a fund . Further focal points are the procedure against omissions, protection of the complainants and victims as well as investigations against bishops.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Fight against abuse - Pope drastically tightened canon law. On: kathisch.de [1] , accessed on May 21, 2019
  2. ^ Bishop Ackermann on the motu proprio "Vos estis lux mundi" from Pope Francis: Concrete and effective action against sexual abuse. In: DBK, press release, No. 075 of May 9, 2019 [2] , accessed May 21, 2019
  3. ↑ On canon law compare: CIC Can 116, 134, 228, 471, 1303, 1390 and 1548 [3]