Vatican City, Feb 24, 2019 / 13:44 pm
A Vatican spokesman said Sunday that concrete follow-up to this week's abuse summit will include a new law on child protection for Vatican City State and a document from Pope Francis.
At the conclusion of the Vatican's sex abuse and child protection summit Feb. 24, conference moderator Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, announced that Pope Francis will soon issue a motu proprio "on the protection of minors and vulnerable persons."
Vatican City State will also receive its own new child protection law and the Vicariate of Vatican City will receive new child protection guidelines in the coming weeks. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will publish a "vademecum," or handbook, with the tasks and obligations of bishops, Lombardi said.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna, adjunct secretary of the CDF and a leading figure in the abuse conference, said Feb. 24 that while changes in law are good, the most important thing is "a change of heart" and conversion, "to be more like the Good Shepherd, taking care of the little ones and the most vulnerable."