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Faith as a Legal Good that Requires Protection

Summary/Abstract: The concept of legal good indicates a value that should be protected by criminal law. Pope Benedict XVI recognized faith as such good, pointing to the positive effects of its canonical protection. A more effective fight against pedophilia is one of these effects. However, a question arises about the status of faith as a legal good in secular criminal law. Could it also be recognized there, as in ecclesiastical law, as such good and, consequently, protected by sanctions? What would the effects of such protection be? The article is an attempt to answer these questions based on the analysis of Benedict XVI’s text “The Church and scandal of sexual abuse” and the very concept of the legal good, as well as the contemporary context of the problem. These analyzes prove that recognizing faith as a legal good would be something positive both for individuals and for society as a whole. However, in the current situation, this is hardly possible.

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