Pope Francis Mandates Priests And Nuns To Report Sex Abuse Without Telling Police

Pope Francis made huge changes in the Catholic Church, but many think it’s not enough.

This week, he introduced a measure that would require priests and nuns to report allegations of sexual abuse. However, the measure doesn’t require church officials to notify law enforcement.

Church leaders now have to report assault allegations with archbishops or clerics, who will then report it to the Vatican. The Vatican will have 30 days to decide whether to launch an investigation — and that investigation needs to be finished in only 90 days.

Vatican News reports that whistleblowers within the church will not face retaliation, though they’re still not required to report to police.

“The new Vatican laws concerning the reporting of sexual abuse continue the secrecy which has enabled clergy sexual abuse to exist, allows the Catholic Church to continue to ineffectively self-police and basically discourages victims from just calling the police,” Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who was portrayed in the movie Spotlight by Stanley Tucci, said in a statement to People magazine.

“History has taught us that the Vatican, with its self-proclaimed law and procedures, is incapable of protecting innocent children from being sexually abused,” he added.