Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, head of a delegation of U.S. Catholic leaders going to the Vatican to discuss the abuse crisis, is accused of not doing enough to stop a priest now arrested on sexual misconduct charges.
"I've never seen anything like this before," says one activist about the laity's engagement in seeking reforms amid new revelations of sex abuse by priests and allegations of widespread cover-ups.
The Vatican's retired ambassador to the U.S., in a letter that includes an anti-homosexual diatribe, alleges Francis knew in 2013 about sexual misconduct by the archbishop of Washington.
The Roman Catholic Church leader says he shares the outrage over the church's role in concealing the "repugnant crimes" and commits to end the "scourge." Victims say his words need to be backed by action.
In a letter, the pontiff urges Catholics across the world to root out abuse and cover-ups.
The pope isn't quoted in the statement, made in reaction to a Pennsylvania grand jury finding that clergymen molested large numbers of children over decades.
The pontiff has approved a change to the Catechism of the Catholic Church—the compilation of official Catholic teaching—to say that capital punishment constitutes an "attack" on the dignity of human beings.
In a move described as unprecedented, the pontiff acts before the accusations are investigated by church officials in the case of Theodore McCarrick, emeritus archbishop of Washington, D.C. McCarrick was heavily involved in the Catholic Church's response to allegations of priestly abuse in the U.S.
Rodrigo Duterte, known for his controversial statements, sparks new outrage in Asia's largest Catholic country. Political and religious leaders are quick to denounce him as "evil" and a "madman."
Theodore McCarrick, 87, the retired archbishop of Washington, D.C., has been removed from public ministry and faces further punishment over allegations he sexually abused a teenager more than 40 years ago.
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