What are delicta graviora and provide two examples.

• A. Grave delicts are the Church's most serious offenses; Examples: sexual abuse of a minor; procuring an abortion.
• B. Grave delicts include minor misbehavior, like lateness
• C. Grave delicts are civil offenses; Examples: theft and fraud
• D. Grave delicts are liturgical abuses

Answer: (A)

Delicta graviora are the gravest delicts in canon law—the most serious offenses within the Church’s legal system. They represent offenses that carry the strongest penalties and special attention, often involving harm connected with clerical office and the duties of the ordained. Sexual abuse of a minor and procuring an abortion are classic examples because they deeply violate the integrity and moral order the Church seeks to uphold, and they are treated as among the most severe canonical sins with serious consequences.

The other options miss the weight or scope of these offenses: minor misbehavior isn’t a grave delict; theft and fraud are civil or secular crimes unless framed within canonical law in a specific clerical context; liturgical abuses can be grave but aren’t the standard canonical examples used to illustrate the gravest delicts.