The new Motu proprio explained

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday issued a Motu proprio making the criminal laws adopted by the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State applicable also within the Holy See. The Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State on Thursday adopted three laws containing: Supplementary Norms on Criminal Law Matters; Amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code; and General Provisions on Administrative Sanctions.

A statement from the Press Office of the Holy See explains that the new laws are a continuation of efforts to update Vatican City State’s legal system, building upon measures adopted since 2010 during the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

The statement goes on to say that these laws have a broader scope, since they incorporate into the Vatican legal system the provisions of numerous international conventions including: the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, on the conduct of war and war crimes; the 1965 Convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination; the 1984 Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the 1989 Convention on the rights of the child and its optional protocols of 2000.

The statement concludes by saying, “As a whole, these normative efforts form part of broader process aimed at modernizing further the Vatican legal system with a view to enhancing its consistency and effectiveness.”

Listen to Chris Altieri's conversation with canonist Msgr. David Maria Jaeger, OFM: