Are anonymous accusations accepted in all dioceses? Does an accused priest have the right to face his accuser?
Anonymous allegations create a significant problem in the area of providing for the right of defense of the accused. Although it is not explicitly stated in the Essential Norms or in the Code of Canon Law that an accused individual has the right to face his accuser, it can be significantly argued that if a person accused of such a serious offense is not afforded the opportunity of knowing the identity of his accuser, his ability to respond to the charges or to defend himself can be greatly hampered. The Norms concerning the more grave delicts reserved to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which govern the procedures followed in such cases before this Congregation appear to imply that, with one exception, an accused does have the right to know the identity of his accuser. The single exception involves offenses regarding the Sacrament of Penance and includes (1) the alleged absolution of an accomplice in a sin against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue; (2) the alleged so
