In a development that has all the thrill of an ecclesiastical courtroom drama minus the popcorn, Pope Francis has quietly overhauled the Vatican’s penal code, issuing a new set of rules designed to streamline justice within the Church’s own judicial system, a place where time has historically moved about as fast as molasses in January.
The reform, made public Thursday, simplifies procedures, modernizes language, and removes what the Vatican politely described as “obsolete norms,” which is a gentle way of saying that up until now some parts of canon law may have been drafted with quills and enough Latin to stymie a Hogwarts professor.
The changes, effective from April 2025, touch on everything from sentencing guidelines to the appeals process and are intended to help tribunals move faster and fairer, which admittedly is a low bar when one considers that some trials were previously conducted with the brisk efficiency of a medieval duel fought by correspondence.
Among the more user-friendly updates is an online registry to better track cases, suggesting that yes, even Vatican court clerks now get to enjoy the unique pleasures of computer crashes and forgotten passwords.
Pope Francis, in his accompanying note, emphasized that these reforms are part of a long overdue house cleaning, meant to make Church law more “pastoral” and less “punitive,” though one suspects many involved in the system are simply relieved they’ll no longer need to cross-reference four separate 19th century documents before taking coffee breaks.
Notably, the rules also allow courts more flexibility to act when clergy are accused of misconduct, a nod to the Church’s desire to be seen not only as a source of moral guidance but also as an institution that, on occasion, can read the room.
“The moment has come,” wrote the Pope, a phrase which, coming from the Vatican, could denote biblical reckoning or the arrival of someone finally fixing the office printer.
In any case, Church legal eagles now have their marching orders and, one hopes, fewer bound leather volumes to carry to the copier.
Justice, it seems, will now come in a slightly more modern typeface.