The pope urged bishops to pay special care to protecting the “weakest among their flock” in a decree published on Saturday.
In the letter, Pope Francis announced new procedures to fire high-ranking priests “for serious reasons.”
“I intend to specify that among these so-called ‘serious reasons’ is the negligence of bishops in the exercise of their functions, especially in cases of sexual abuse of minors or vulnerable adults,” Francis wrote in a letter titled “motu proprio” (“on his own impulse” in Latin).
Under the new regulation, the Vatican would start investigating a bishop if there is “serious evidence” that the bishop was negligent in handling abuse. The Church wo…
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