Vatican issues long-awaited manual for investigating priests accused of raping and molesting, says bishops should report sex abuse to police
a long-awaited manual for bishops and religious superiors on conducting in-house investigations into allegations of priests who rape and molest minors and vulnerable adults
The manual says: "Even in cases where there is no explicit legal obligation to do so, the ecclesiastical authorities should make a report to the competent civil authorities if this is considered necessary to protect the person involved or other minors from the danger of further criminal acts.
The only justification for dismissing an allegation outright, the manual says, is if the bishop determines the "manifest impossibility of proceeding," such as if the accuser wasn't under age 18 at the time or the priest wasn't physically present when the alleged crimes took place. The manual was published by the Vatican office that investigates priestly sex crimes, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and was issued in Italian, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Polish, with a German edition expected.
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