Catholic priests in France are to reportedly be made wear traffic-light coded identification tags which allow the public to check whether they may have faced sex abuse charges.
The cards will feature a QR code which can be scanned by a mobile phone, and will light up in either red, orange or green depending on whether the holder has lost their clerical status.
The scheme was announced by the Bishop’s Conference of France last Wednesday, and will ‘allow easier identification of priests able to lead mass and hear confessions.’
The initiative aims at protecting church-goers and other worshippers from sexual abuse, following a recent bout of revelations in regards to clerical abuse.
A red light would indicate that a priest has been stripped of their status and cannot perform various clerical duties, whereas orange lights will indicate that a priest has limited powers.
Despite causing a mini revolution within the French Catholic Church when announced, an ID card for bishops and priests isn’t an entirely new idea.
French Catholic Church clergy have always had what is known as a ‘celebret’, a paper documenting their profession. However, this was deemed too falsifiable and many priests are now opting for a digital version.
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