VATICAN CITY (CNS) A series of laws and procedures promulgated by now-retired Pope Benedict XVI and, especially, by Pope Francis to protect children, promote the investigation of allegations of clerical sexual abuse and punish offenders are included in a heavily revised section of the Code of Canon Law.
Pope Francis has extensively updated a section of church law that addresses sexual abuse explicitly, including child pornography. The required actions of a bishop or superior of a religious order in handling allegations are more stringent.