Iglesia y constitución: la posición de la Iglesia Católica en las constituciones españolas (1808-1978)

Abstract

One of the most serious crisis that the Catholic Church is suffering since, at least, the las 10 or 15 years of he las century are the denonces of sexual abuses of minors committed by clergy. Denunces that, generally had been supposed a discredit for the Chatolic Church and that also entailed important economical payments by the side of the dioceses and religious institutions implicated. Also this had been supposed a crisis inside the Church itself. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith promulgated in the year 2001 special norms about it, and the Episcopal Conferences of some nations specially implicated had been published abundant orientations about this theme. The United States of America Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), country where these accusations and denounces produced a deep crisis, has been publishing since the year 1990 different norms and guide lines of actions in order that the Church confront properly the accusations of sexual abuse of minors committed by clergy. The authors of the article, presents some recent and important documents about the theme, promulgated by the USCCB, analyzing its recores, its principal contents and its repercussions not only for the Catholic Church of this country but for the canonical legislation in general.