Vos Estis Lux Mundi Reporting

14 August 2024
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ACSL update in response to enquiries about the reporting process for Vos Estis Lux Mundi

Pope Francis issued the motu proprio Vos Estis Lux Mundi (You are the light of the world) in May 2019 which established procedural norms to combat sexual abuse and ensure that bishops and religious superiors are held accountable for their actions. Vos Estis Lux Mundi was updated, with a new version release in March 2023, which you can access here.  

In May 2023 the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference considered and approved a range of documents to assist in the implementation of Vos Estis Lux Mundi. One of the documents approved by the ACBC is the ‘Report of Alleged Canonical Crime Form’ (the Reporting Form). 

The Reporting Form is to be used cleric or religious have notice of, or well-founded belief that the crimes outlined in Vos Estis Lux Mundi have been committed by a cleric or religious. The following crimes must be reported using the Reporting Form: 

i. an offence against the sixth commandment of the decalogue committed with violence or threat or by abuse of authority, or in coercing someone to perform or undergo sexual acts; [Canon 1395 §3]; 

ii. a crime against the sixth commandment of the decalogue committed with a minor person who habitually has an imperfect use of reason or a vulnerable adult [Canon 1398 §1, 1°]; 

iii. the immoral acquisition, storage, exhibition or dissemination, in any way and by any means, of pornographic images of minors or persons who habitually have an impaired use of reason [Canon 1398 §1, 3°];

iv. the recruitment or inducement of a minor or a person who habitually has an impaired use of reason or a vulnerable adult to exhibit pornography or to participate in real or simulated pornographic performances [Canon 1398 §1, 2°] 

When the Reporting Form has been completed by must be sent to: 

  1. The Diocesan Bishop where the alleged crime(s) occurred,  
  2. If the person who is the subject of the report is a religious, the relevant Major Superior, and  
  3. Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (at complaints.response@acsltd.org.au). 

As the Reporting Form may be updated from time to time, we recommend that each time a report is made the form is downloaded from the ACBC website here (see Appendix A – Report of Alleged Canonical Crime Form).

If you have any questions or concerns with the material or form itself, these should be directed to Louise Zavonne at bcpss@catholic.org.au.