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Cracking The Code: Amending Canon Law To Exclude Sexual Abuse Offenders From Roman Catholic Ordination, Hannah C. Dugan J.D.
Cracking The Code: Amending Canon Law To Exclude Sexual Abuse Offenders From Roman Catholic Ordination, Hannah C. Dugan J.D.
Hannah C. Dugan J.D.
Abstract: In 2002, a public scandal broke in the United States revealing the depth of Roman Catholic clerical sex abuse, and exposing the breadth of failed episcopal response to victim complaints. Many civil, criminal, religious and bankruptcy court matters have been pursued to bring justice for victims and survivors. However, the Church’s Code of Canon Law, that lists specifically who may not be ordained, does not exclude sexual abuse offenders from holy orders. This article discusses legal and extra-legal remedies in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal, and argues for amending the Code of Canon Law so that the …