While many canon law experts believe the norms in Vos Estis Lux Mundi represent a turning point in the church s efforts to hold bishops accountable, others believe much could be improved upon, including greater transparency on disclosing when investigations are taking place, the need to mandate the use of lay experts, and clarity on the status of bishops removed from office following an investigation. (Unsplash/Markus Winkler)
Two years ago this month, Pope Francis issued a sweeping new church law on bishop accountability, establishing a global system for investigation allegations against bishops of abuse or its cover-up.
Known as
Vos Estis Lux Mundi ( You Are the Light of the World ), the norms encourage but do not mandate the involvement of lay experts in the process of investigating allegations against bishops. When it was signed into law,
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The Archive Department is pleased to announce that records of the Delegate for Religious have been processed and a collection guide is now available to researchers.
The Delegate for Religious is the primary liaison for the more than 2,000 men and women religious in the Archdiocese of Boston, serving as the main point of contact between the religious communities and the Archbishop of Boston. Since May 1, 2019, the position has been held by Sister Germana Santos, FSP, who contributed greatly to the task of assessing and organizing her predecessors records.
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The members voted to rename itself during its first online Joint Biennial Convention held last April 28 to 30.
“The decision was the fruit of a long synodal process among the members of the Association (religious institutes and societies of apostolic life) and of the Joint Executive Board,” the group said in a statement dated May 5.
“The decision was born from the desire to use the more inclusive term ‘consecrated persons,’ as defined in Saint John Paul II’s Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata, in place of the limiting term ‘religious. ” it added.
Aside from being in line with the norms under Canon 708 and 709 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, the group said, the change is also in line with similar acts of renewal adopted by the Holy See when it renamed the dicasterial office from “Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes” to “Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL)” in 1988; a
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Pope Francis
(VATICAN MEDIA VIA CBCP / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
The church, he said, must be open “to fresh ways of bearing witness to the joy of the Gospel and forming vital communities of missionary disciples.”
“In this way, they will be renewed in their love of Christ and in fidelity to their proper charism,” CBCP News quoted the pontiff.
The Pope made the statement during this year’s virtual convention of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP).
His message was relayed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, and was read to the participants by Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles Brown on April 28.