Pope Leo XIV’s decision on March 25 to appoint Bishop Anthony Randazzo as Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts is, on its face, a conventional Vatican personnel move. Yet in the broader context of the Catholic Church’s ongoing struggle to reckon with its sexual abuse crisis, the appointment carries a significance that should not be overlooked.
The Dicastery for Legislative Texts sits at the heart of the Church’s legal system. It drafts, interprets, and oversees the application of canon law across the global Church. In practice, that authority shapes how justice is pursued—or delayed—in some of the most sensitive and consequential cases the Church faces. By selecting a seasoned canon lawyer with deep institutional experience, Pope Leo has signaled, intentionally or not, that law remains central to his vision of governance.
Bishop Randazzo, 59, brings formidable credentials to the role. A graduate of the Pontifical Gregorian University, he spent five years at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office responsible for handling clergy sexual abuse cases worldwide. He has also played a prominent role within the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and currently serves as president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania. Few can question his technical mastery of canon law or his familiarity with the Church’s internal legal culture.
Australian Archbishop Timothy Costelloe was quick to praise the appointment and described Randazzo’s formation and experience as “a profound gift to the Church,” emphasizing his conviction that canon law must serve the Gospel and the pastoral good of the faithful. That vision is admirable—and urgently needed. The question, however, is whether the Church’s legal system as presently structured can fulfill that mission.
Pope Leo himself is a canon lawyer. That fact makes this appointment particularly telling. For years, survivors of abuse, legal scholars, and independent investigators have argued that the Church’s in-house legal framework has too often functioned less as an instrument of justice than as a mechanism of institutional self-protection. Nearly every major investigation into clerical abuse—from church-commissioned reports in Europe to government inquiries in Australia and the United States—has identified canonical processes as a significant part of the problem.
These critiques are not abstract. In the United States, frustration with the system runs deep. Victims speak of prolonged proceedings that retraumatize rather than heal. Canon lawyers point to inconsistent application of norms, weak due-process protections, and administrative timelines that stretch on for years without resolution. At the same time, accused priests—some ultimately cleared—often find themselves publicly named and effectively punished long before allegations are substantiated. The damage spreads outward, harming families, parishes, and entire communities.
None of this negates the moral imperative to protect children and vulnerable adults. Safeguards must remain strong and non-negotiable. But justice is not served when procedures lack transparency, when rights are unevenly respected, or when truth is subordinated to expediency. A legal system that fails both victims and the accused ultimately fails the Church itself.
If meaningful reform is to occur, it will require more than rhetorical commitment. It will demand a renewed fidelity to legal and ethical norms, genuine transparency, respect for human dignity, and a willingness to collaborate beyond ecclesiastical boundaries. Whether Pope Leo intends such reform remains unclear. But by placing Bishop Randazzo—someone acutely aware of both the strengths and shortcomings of canon law—at the helm of the Church’s legislative apparatus, the pope has at least created an opening.
The hope now is that this appointment marks not merely continuity, but courage: the courage to confront hard truths, to acknowledge systemic failures, and to ensure that canon law truly serves justice, mercy, and the Gospel it claims to uphold. Bishop Randazzo’s tenure will test whether that hope is justified. Until then, the Church—and those wounded by its failures—will be watching.
– Jim Musumeci, I.V.D.
Member, Mutual Support Working Group