Pope Francis has nominated an Argentine prelate to be part of a new commission examining appeals from priests punished for clerical sex abuse and other serious offences.
The Vatican announced Monday that Archbishop Jose Luis Mollaghan of Rosario will be a member of the congregation “in the commission being established to examine the appeals of clergy for ‘delicta graviora,'” the Vatican term for sexual abuse of minors and serious sins against the sacraments.
The Vatican did not provide further details about the commission, but the news of its creation comes after growing concern over priests who have been falsely accused and punished by suspected victims of abuse.
Archbishop Mollaghan, 68, holds a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was named an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1993 and worked with then-Archbishop Bergoglio until he was named bishop of San Miguel in 2000.
