The Vatican has announced changes that will make it harder for the Catholic church to hide clergy sexual abuses.

Pope Francis on Tuesday abolished the Vatican's "pontifical secrecy" rule in cases of sexual abuse of minors and child pornography.

Critics had said the rule had shielded church officials from legal prosecution and punishment and forced victims to remain silent.

Church leaders had asked for the lifting of the rule at a summit on sexual abuse at the Vatican earlier this year.

The Vatican’s most experienced sex abuse investigator hailed the decision on Vatican Radio. "This is an epochal decision,” 

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta said.

“Certain jurisdictions would have easily quoted the pontifical secret ... to say that they could not, and that they were not, authorized to share information with either state authorities or the victims."

The rule was originally established in 1974, binding church officials to keep confidential any information on how the Roman Catholic Church is governed.

"It is similar to the 'classified' or 'confidential' status common in companies or civil governments," writes Hannah Brockhaus of the Catholic News Agency.

Information that is kept secret includes private dossiers, promotion recommendations, and punishment related to major crimes by those in the church, Brockhaus writes.

Until today, that had included cases of sexual abuse against minors.

Now top church officials, witnesses to sexual abuse and victims are no longer bound to secrecy and officials can no longer cite the rule to refuse cooperation with civil authorities.

The Pope also raised the cutoff age for child pornography. Now, pornographic images of any person younger than 18 qualifies. Before, images had to show minors younger than 14.

“To date, the church has been especially lenient towards priests who offend against older children" with pornography, said Anne Barrett Doyle of the online resource Bishop Accountability. “Extending the pornography ban sends a message that this vulnerable group of minors must be protected too.”

The Roman Catholic Church has struggled to end clergy sexual abuse of children since the scandal erupted in the late 1980s.

Pope Francis has vowed zero tolerance for offenders, but victims want him to do more and make bishops who allegedly covered up abuse accountable.

With information from AP, the Catholic News Agency and Reuters.