Rule of law and reform of justice in the Church: Part 1 of a series

There is not much on which everyone in the Church agrees these days, but if there is one thing around which there is broad consensus, it is that the system of ecclesiastical justice is among the areas of Church life most urgently needing reform.

That is an assessment shared by experts, clerics of every rank, and informed lay people across the spectrum of opinion in the Church.

Heading into the conclave in May of last year, veteran Church watchers of every stripe also knew that reform of the Church’s justice system would be a major challenge for the new pope, whoever he would be.

When the cardinals chose Augustinian Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a trained canon lawyer with judicial experience and two terms as the head of a global religious order, it became clear that concern for the state of ecclesiastical justice somehow informed their choice.

Reform of the ecclesiastical justice system, however, is a gargantuan task.

Pope Leo XIV frankly acknowledged the fact in an exclusive interview with Crux Now – the first of his pontificate – conducted by Elise Ann Allen in the first months of his reign.

“Law exists,” Leo said, “and we can talk about