Thanks to Michael Mazza for this breaking news! In a letter dated 5 September 2024, and posted on their website the last week of February 2025, the Dicastery for Legislative Texts condemned the practice of publishing “list of credibly accused clerics.”
Citing Pope Francis and basic principles of law regarding the right to reputation and the right to the presumption of innocence, the dicastery charged with the proper interpretation of canon law solidly reaffirmed the illegitimacy of the practice of publishing names of priests merely accused of criminal behavior.
This letter is extremely significant, as it represents the most recent statement in a series of statements [see here [n.14], here [nn. 45-46] here [n. 193] and here [fn 5]] that strongly condemns a practice which is, sadly, widespread in the USA at present. Anyone who wishes to may now cite this letter in a respectful communication to any diocese or religious order that is publishing the types of lists condemned in this official communication from the Holy See.
The same Dicastery has already warned that “an imprudent management of the news could constitute in certain cases the delict referred to in canon 1390 §2,” i.e., crimes against reputation. Punishment for this delict could include the removal from an ecclesiastical office. Even if not a crime, any damage wrongfully inflicted on a person’s good name must be repaired. You can read the entire letter HERE.