ZENIT has reported that "a Vatican initiative to define and codify “spiritual abuse” within canon law has taken a decisive step forward".  A task force, jointly overseen by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) and the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, was first established by Pope Francis in November 2024 to address what Church jurists have described as one of the most urgent legal gaps in canon law. The group’s mandate is to determine how spiritual abuse—often linked to manipulation, coercion, and the misuse of authority within religious settings—should be formally classified as a canonical crime.
Vatican Task Force Moves Forward on Defining “Spiritual Abuse” in Canon Law as Leadership Confirmed | ZENIT - English