Cover image: Star Chamber (etching,1836) in Old and new London - a narrative of its history, its people, and its places, 1873 (Public Domain)
Pope Francis’s sweeping reform legislation, Vos estis lux mundi, came into effect on June 1st, 2019. The law facilitated Church investigations of abuse and coverup, and streamlined the process for trying and punishing abusers and their abettors. It also promised consistency and transparency – consistent transparency – in its application.
“ applies as from June 1, 2019,” said Archbishop Charles Scicluna -- the Church’s leading expert on the legal side of child protection -- in remarks to the Catholic Herald at the time the Vatican presented the new law to journlists and the public, “for the reporting and investigation of misconduct whenever may have happened.”
