6
Response
Accepted
Redraft canonical crimes as crimes against the child
Recommendation
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales should request that the Holy See redraft the canonical crimes relating to child sexual abuse as crimes against the child.
Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- On 30 September 2021, the Catholic Council for the Inquiry confirmed that Book VI of the Code of Canon Law had been redrafted, with the revised Book published by Pope Francis on 1 June 2021, treating sexual offences against children as crimes against the child rather than solely against the sacraments (Government Response, Catholic Bishops' Conference, September 2021).
- In May 2023, the government confirmed that this recommendation had been completed (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
- In May 2023, the government confirmed that this recommendation had been completed (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by claude-opus-4-6 on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
Jurisdiction
England
Section Reference
C
Response
Accepted
Response
Accepted
Accepted
UK Government
22 May 2023
On 30 September 2021, the Catholic Council for the Inquiry confirmed that Book VI of the Code of Canon Law determines the penal norms in order to give precise and sure guidance to those who must apply them. The Catholic Council for the Inquiry also confirmed that the offence of child abuse is now framed as an offence committed against the dignity of the human person. It includes clerics, non-clerical religious and lay persons who occupy certain roles in the Church.
Responsible Bodies
Catholic Bishops Conference
Primary
Recommendation age
5.4 yrs
Last formal update
1054 days ago