Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale702

granted an indult to the Bishops of the United States in 1994: the age for the

canonical crime of sexual abuse of minors was raised from 16 to 18 and

prescription (canonical term for statute of limitations) was extended to a

period of 10 years from the 18th birthday of the victim (this was done to

take account of the fact that many incidents of abuse are reported only after

the victim reaches adulthood). Similarly, the Holy See extended that 1994

indult to Ireland in 1996.

In order to provide more comprehensive norms and simplify some of the

procedures, on 30 April 2001 Pope John Paul II promulgated the motu pro-

prio "Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela", which included the sexual abuse of a

minor under 18 by a cleric among the new list of canonical delicts reserved to

the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. As was the case in the earlier

indults granted to the Bishops of the United States and Ireland, prescription

for these cases was extended to ten years from the 18th birthday of the

victim. All Catholic Bishops were informed of the new law and the new

procedures. The acts that constitute the most grave delicts reserved to the

Congregation were specified in this letter, both those against the moral law

and those committed in the celebration of the Sacraments. Also listed were

special procedural norms to be followed in cases concerning these grave de-

licts, including those norms regarding the determination and imposition of

canonical sanctions. The procedures applicable to cases of child sexual abuse

are noted by the Cloyne Report (4.23).

The new legislation proved notably effective in dealing with cases of child

sexual abuse perpetrated by clerics. During the period 2001-2010, the Con-

gregation for the Doctrine of the Faith considered accusations against about

three thousand diocesan and religious priests, referring to crimes committed

over the previous fifty years. The Congregation provided for the respective

Dioceses or Religious Orders to conduct penal processes, whether judicial or

administrative, in a number of cases. In other cases, the penal process was

not used, and instead administrative and disciplinary provisions were issued

against the accused priests, including limitations on the celebration of Mass,

prohibitions against the hearing of confessions and mandatory withdrawal

into a retired life of prayer, with no public contact. In particularly serious

cases, a decree of dismissal from the clerical state was issued. In some cases,

the accused priests themselves requested dispensation from their clerical

obligations.