Pope Francis has created a new tribunal section inside the Vatican to hear cases of bishops accused of covering up for priests who raped and molested children, the biggest step the Holy See has taken to hold bishops accountable for abuse.
For years, the Vatican has been criticized by victims, advocacy groups and others for having failed to ever punish or forcibly remove a bishop who moved predator priests around from parish to parish rather than report them to police or remove them from ministry.
The Vatican said today that Francis had approved proposals made by his sexual abuse advisory board to address that lapse.
The board includes two survivors of abuse and experts in child protection policies and their proposal calls for a new mechanism by which the Vatican can now receive and examine complaints of abuse of office by bishops and bring bishops to trial in a Vatican tribunal.
A special new judicial section, with permanent staff, will be created inside the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "to judge bishops with regard to crimes of the abuse of office when connected to the abuse of minors," a Vatican statement said.
Details must still be worked out, including the statute of limitations to determine whether old cases of negligence by bishops dating back 20 or 30 years ago can now be heard.
The congregation currently reviews all cases of priests who have abused minors and the statute of limitations on actual abuse is 20 years, though the congregation can waive that limit.
"Really pleased the Holy Father has approved our proposal," Commission member Marie Collins, herself a survivor of abuse, told The Associated Press in an email.
The main US victims group SNAP was more cautious, noting that there are bishops currently in office who have delayed reporting abuse and yet no punishment has ever been meted out.
"In the face of this widespread denial, timidity and inaction, let's be prudent, stay vigilant and withhold judgment until we see if and how this panel might act," said SNAP's David Clohessy.
The sex abuse scandal exploded decades ago in the US, Ireland, Australia and elsewhere in large part because bishops and heads of religious orders moved pedophile priests around or sent them off for therapy, rather than report the crimes to police and conduct church trials as canon law requires.
Their aim was to prevent scandal and hold onto their priests at almost any cost.
In 2001, the Vatican required all bishops and religious superiors to send all their abuse cases to Rome in a bid to crack down on the abusers. In the ensuing years thousands of priests were sanctioned and hundreds defrocked.
