People shocked after finding out about age of consent laws in Vatican City

The age of consent in Vatican City has increased in recent years after a law change in 2013 left people gobsmacked.

The varying age of consent around the world can often leave people feeling uneasy.

Generally, in the majority of places - especially here in Europe - it sits between 14-16, which some would say is too young. But not too long ago, less than a decade in fact, the age of consent in Vatican City sat extremely lower than these benchmark ages.

With Pope Leo XIV, the new head of the Catholic Church, having been elected yesterday (8 May), conversation is now around how his attitudes will be different to the late Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday at the age of 88.

And it's safe to say that Francis was by far the most progressive pope we have seen in recent decades.

The age of consent in Vatican City has been discussed online (DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

In fact, it was when he was elected in 2013 that the age of consent was raised in Vatican City.

Until 2013, the legal age of consent in the holy city was just 12-years-old, making it the lowest age out of any other European country.

The age was then drastically raised to 18, one of the highest ages of consent in the continent.

The law now states: "The age of sexual consent is 18. The national legislation does not provide for a close-in-age exemption."

But, as a heavily religious country, the laws around the age of consent are different for those that are married.

Another way Pope Francis reformed the Catholic Church, was by raising the minimum age for marriage in Catholic law from 14 to 16. However, this was only updated in 2019.

The minimum age of marriage was raised in 2019 (Getty Stock)

Responding to the revelation, one user on Twitter said: "I fell to my knees praying to God when the Vatican raised the age for SEXUAL consent."

Another said: "The age of consent at the Vatican city-state, was 12, until 2013. You can still marry a 14-year-old girl, however, by consent…or an 'underage child' with parental consent."

The late Pope Francis was at the forefront of investigations into child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.

He hosted a four-day conference back in 2019, educating church leaders on the seriousness of the sex abuse crisis and how to deal with it.

It was following this important meeting that the legal age for girls to marry in the Roman Catholic Church was raised from 14 to 16.