POPE Francis has bolstered criminal legislation against child
abuse in the Vatican and increased criminal liability for employees of
the tiny city state in a legislative overhaul.
The Vatican said in a statement the Pope's decree included "a broader
definition of the category of crimes against minors" including child
prostitution, sexual acts with children and child pornography.
The
new laws are part of an introduction of forms of crime indicated in
international conventions that the Vatican has already ratified
including against racism and war crimes and on children's rights.
"While
many of the specific criminal offences included in these laws are
undeniably new, it would however be incorrect to assume that the forms
of conduct thereby sanctioned were previously licit," said Monsignor
Dominique Mamberti, who is in charge of relations between the Holy See
and other states.
"These were indeed punished, but as broader, more generic forms of criminal activity."
Francis
also increased co-operation with other states against money laundering
and terrorism in a continuation of reforms begun by his predecessor,
Benedict XVI, to get the Vatican in line with international legislation.
The
new norms also introduce the administrative responsibility of Vatican
departments - a potentially radical change that would complement his
plans to root out corruption from the scandal-ridden Vatican
bureaucracy.
The Pope's reform "extends the reach of the
legislation contained in these criminal laws to the members, officials
and employees of the various bodies of the Roman Curia," the central
body of the Catholic Church, Mamberti said.
"This extension has
the aim of making the crimes included in these laws indictable by the
judicial organs of Vatican City State even when committed outside the
borders of the state," he said.
The laws will come into force on September 1.
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