clergy sex abuse

Pope Francis on Tuesday issued a major revision of Catholic Church laws regulating clerical sex abuse, fraud and the attempt to ordain women. It is known as an apostolic constitution with the title, Pascite Gregem Dei, or "Tend the Flock."

The report on the former archbishop of Washington, Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked last year, states that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI were aware of the accusations of sexual misconduct.

An investigation by KQED shows that Jesús Antonio Castañeda Serna, a former Catholic priest in the Diocese of Yakima, had been accused before and has moved from the Catholic Church to the Anglican Church and then to another religious group without undergoing complete background checks — or any at all.

The French filmmaker first wanted to make a documentary about an accused pedophile priest. But the victims convinced him that fiction would reach more viewers. It's called By the Grace of God.

The largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. faces allegations of sexual abuse by ministers and controversy over its opposition to women preachIng in church.

The papal decree also sets up new procedures to hold more-senior church authorities such as bishops accountable for committing abuse or for covering up the crimes of others.

Applicable only to Vatican personnel and diplomats around the world, it is the first unified policy for the protection of children and vulnerable adults. But critics say it doesn't go far enough.

Not surprisingly, when Pope Francis summoned more than 100 bishops to a meeting in Rome to address the "Protection of Minors in the Church," the announcement raised expectations that it could mark a turning point in the Church's lagging response to the ongoing clergy abuse crisis. The three-day meeting begins Thursday.

Theodore McCarrick rose to power as a cardinal and archbishop of Washington, D.C. He became the most senior Catholic Church official in modern times to lose clerical status.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, the Roman Catholic Church is being forced to confront evidence that clergy have sexually abused nuns.