From the principle of accountability to the canon lawyer accompanying victims of sexual abuse in the Church

In this chapter, Aleksandra Brzemia‑Bonarek explores how the development of victimology and human‑rights protection has transformed a traditional offender‑centred criminal paradigm into one that recognises the victim as a subject of proceedings and calls for enhanced protection of his or her rights. The author traces the evolution of the Holy See’s documents – from “Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela” and the “Normae de gravioribus delictis” to the motu proprio “Vos estis lux mundi” – showing the gradual introduction of the term “victim” and legal obligations to provide spiritual, medi­cal, therapeutic, and legal assistance to abused persons and their relatives. At the heart of the reflection lies the principle of accountability, understood as the Church’s responsibility to report abuse, deliver just judgments, ensure compensation, and implement systemic prevention that involves universal and local structures, lay initiatives, and specialised centres. Within this framework, the canon lawyer is portrayed not merely as a technical expert but as one who accompanies victims, combining procedural impartiality with an attitude of empathy, in line with Pope Francis’s calls for solidarity with those harmed by abuse in the Church.