Vatican issues groundbreaking universal sex abuse law

Pope Francis issued a groundbreaking law on Thursday that requires all Catholic priests and nuns around the world to report clergy sexual abuse. The law also mandates that any cover-ups by superiors must be reported to higher church authorities – namely the Holy See and the metropolitan bishop. Every diocese must now  create an accessible, confidential reporting system that gives whistle-blowers protection too. The new rules make the world's 415,000 Catholic priests and 660,000 religious…