Vos estis lux mundi

Vos estis lux mundi
Latin for 'You are the light of the world'
Apostolic letter of Pope Francis
Signature date 7 May 2019
Text
← La tutela dei minori

Vos estis lux mundi ('You are the light of the world'[1]) is a motu proprio by Pope Francis, promulgated on 9 May 2019.[2] It establishes new procedural norms to combat sexual abuse and ensure that bishops and religious superiors are held accountable for their actions. It establishes universal norms, which apply to the whole church.[3] As an experiment, the norms entered into force for a period of three years, starting on 1 June 2019. The norms were then expanded and made permanent on 25 March 2023, with their coming into force on 30 April 2023.

In its preamble, Pope Francis affirms that:

The crimes of sexual abuse offend Our Lord, cause physical, psychological and spiritual damage to the victims and harm the community of the faithful. In order that these phenomena, in all their forms, never happen again, a continuous and profound conversion of hearts is needed, attested by concrete and effective actions that involve everyone in the Church, [...] Therefore, it is good that procedures be universally adopted to prevent and combat these crimes that betray the trust of the faithful.[4]

The document was issued three months after the sexual abuse summit convened by Pope Francis at the Vatican in February 2019.[5]

  1. ^ "Pope Francis Signs Motu Proprio to Prevent and Denounce Abuses in the Catholic Church". NCR. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  2. ^ "Catholic Church issues norms for reports of sexual abuse of minors, seminarians, and religious". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  3. ^ Tornielli, Andrea (2019-05-09). "New norms for the whole Church against those who abuse or cover up". www.vaticannews.va. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  4. ^ "Apostolic Letter in the form of "Motu Proprio" " "Vos estis lux mundi"". press.vatican.va. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  5. ^ "Card Ouellet: Motu proprio establishes effective measures against abuse". www.vaticannews.va. 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2019-05-11.

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