Washington D.C., Jun 2, 2021 / 10:01 am
The Canon Law Society of America on Tuesday expressed gratitude for the Vatican’s new revisions to Book VI of the Code of Canon Law, saying that the changes were needed.
“This reinvigoration of canon law is a welcome necessity to our member canonists’ work on behalf of the Church and will be, as the Holy Father says, an instrument for the good of souls,” said a statement from Rev. Msgr. C. Michael Padazinski, JCD, president of the Canon Law Society of America.
In particular, Padazinski said the recategorization of the crime of sexual abuse of a minor to an offense against the dignity of a human person is a “remarkable development.” Previously, the sexual abuse of a minor was listed as a delict against celibacy.
The change “shows a shift from a mindset of concern focused primarily on an accused cleric to a concern for the individual who has been harmed,” said Padazinski.