Pope Francis updates canon law on dismissal from religious institutes

Thursday, April 28th, 2022

Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter on Tuesday bringing Church law up to date on the rules for dismissal from religious institutes, in light of the updated penal law on sanctions related to clerical sexual abuse and other crimes.

The letter, known as Recognitum Librum VI and issued motu proprio (on the pope’s “own impulse”) on April 26, modifies one sentence from canon 695 of the Code of Canon Law.

The pope explained that the modification makes the line consistent with the major revisions made last year to Book VI of the code’s penal law, which classified some crimes differently and introduced new crimes.

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News category: News Shorts, World.

Tags: Clergy sexual abuse, Code of Canon Law, Pope Francis Church law, Recognitum Librum VI

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