The Crime De Corruptio Impuberum at the Holy Office (1922-1965)

Abstract

This is an archival study that analyzes the response of the Holy Office regarding sexual crimes committed by clerics against prepubescent minors. The intent of the present study is to demonstrate how this delictual behavior was interpreted, evaluated and how it evolved over time. The conclusion that emerges from this study is that, since 1922, there has been an attempt to give a canonical response regarding the punishment of this delict. That intention began to suffer setbacks in the mid-1950s, eventually culminating with the modifications of the Holy Office into the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.