Pope Francisco signs law preventing sexual violence against children

Although the city of State within Rome's territory is small and very few children live in it, these legal changes reflect the desire to prove that the Catholic Church is finally acting against sexual violence against children after decades of worldwide scandals.

The changes signed by the pope, who is Church leader and at the same time head of state, make it compulsory to report allegations of sexual violence by overseers and collaborators. These changes include penalties in case of failure to report suspicious cases. Punishments may be cash and prison, while victims and their families will be offered assistance.

This law defines the procedures of reporting allegations of abuse, requires more research for future employees, sets out firm guidelines for adult reports with children and the use of social networks.

The Church's credibility has been largely damaged in much of the world because of the sex violence scandals in Ireland, Chile, Australia, France, the United States, Poland, Germany, and other countries. Churches have been forced to pay billions of dollars for the victims and shut the parishes down in several states, writes “Reuters”.