Not Really Progress

Until 1962, the Catholic canon law clearly spelled out punishments for priests who were sexually abusive in any way. Then, not only were the rules changed to be more secretive, but the document itself was supposed to be a secret, not ever discussed!

Vatican Aware of Abuse for Centuries, Study Says
* Authors use church’s own documents to make their case. Critics say money is the motive.

For example, in the 4th century, St. Basil of Caesarea set up a detailed system of punishment to deal with clerics at his monastery who molested boys. Perpetrators were to be flogged and put in chains for six months; they were never again allowed unsupervised interaction with minors.

In the 13th century, Pope Gregory IX added to church law a declaration that sexual abuse demanded expulsion from the priesthood and that perpetrators would be turned over to secular authorities.