Since becoming pope in 2013, the Argentine pontiff has striven to tackle the decades-long sexual abuse scandals involving Catholic priests around the globe.
Australian Cardinal George Pell was sentenced in a Melbourne court on five counts, including oral rape and molestation of boys in 1996-1997
German Cardinal Reinhard Marx was speaking on the third day of an unprecedented summit of the world’s top bishops
Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon, is to stand trial over allegations he helped cover up abuse in one of the parishes in the area
‘Those who have suffered are his priority, and the Church wants to listen to them to root out this tragic horror’
Being a strong black woman can be fatal
The head of the Catholic Church has appointed the first eight members of a panel announced in December to tackle paedophilia scandals in the church.
Paedophilia is not a crime, it is a psychological illness, says Catholic Archbishop of Durban Wilfrid Fox Napier according to a report.
Archbishop Rowan Williams’s decision to probe the diocese of Chichester will throw the spotlight on abuse by clergy in the Anglican Church.
The Vatican was forced into a climbdown after remarks by a senior cardinal linking homosexuality with paedophilia caused an international outcry.
Priest sex abusers should "always" be turned in to civil authorities, the Vatican said on Monday in guidelines posted on its website.
Africa is also affected by the scandal of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, the head of the Southern African Bishops Conference has said.
