Pope Francis abandons the apostolic secret related to sexual abuse, in order to drastically change the way the scandal has been resolved in the past 20 years.

Two documents issued by the Pope yesterday were sent to a number of countries, including the US, to lift restrictions on reporting sexual abuse suspects to civil authorities and ban imposition of obligations. be silent with those who report abuse or victims.

"This is a historic decision," said Charles Scicluna, Archbishop of Malta, who is also an investigator with extensive experience of sexual abuse in the Vatican.

Removing the secrecy in investigating sexual abuse, the regulation of keeping child sexual abuse cases secret, is a key requirement of Church leaders, including Scicluna and the Cardinal. Reinhard Marx, presented at a Vatican conference in February.

They think the rule is obsolete and some Church officials use it to hide sin instead of cooperating with the government.

The new rule aims to effectively eliminate proceedings, evidence and court decisions within the Church on the protection of secrets. The regulation will allow for greater transparency and information sharing with authorities while keeping the level of confidentiality lower than before, similar to civil legal structures.

Scicluna said the new provisions also opened the way to contact the victim and cooperate with the state.

"Certain jurisdictions often easily cite apostolic secrets to say that they cannot and cannot share information with authorities or victims. Now that barrier has been lifted, secrecy is no longer an excuse, "Scicluna said.

Yesterday, the Pope also approved the resignation of French Archbishop Luigi Ventura, allegedly sexually abused.

The Catholic Church has faced a scandal of child abuse over the past two decades, forcing Pope Francis to make drastic moves. Many priests and bishops have been charged and dismissed.