Clericalism, abuse of power, at heart of sex abuse crisis, cardinal says

VATICAN CITY — The abuse crisis in the Catholic Church is a call for bishops to unmask the deep-seated clericalism that placed protection of the institution of the church above the sufferings of victims, said the head of the council of Latin American bishops.
WATCH: Cardinal Cupich asks for new structure to ensure bishops' accountability

VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church needs "new legal structures of accountability" for bishops accused of sexual abuse or of negligence in handling abuse allegations, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago told the Vatican summit on safeguarding.
At summit, survivors expose 'cancer' of clergy sex abuse

VATICAN CITY— "Every time I refused to have sex with him, he would beat me," an abuse survivor from Africa told Pope Francis and bishops attending the Vatican summit on child protection and the abuse crisis. The meeting began Feb. 21 with the harrowing stories of survivors of sexual abuse, cover-up and rejection by church officials.
WATCH: Vatican summit opens with acknowledgment of evil committed

VATICAN CITY— Opening the Vatican summit on child protection and the clerical sexual abuse crisis, Pope Francis said, "The holy people of God are watching and are awaiting from us not simple, predictable condemnations, but concrete and effective measures" to stop abuse.
Vatican summit: Silence, denial are unacceptable, archbishop says

VATICAN CITY — When presented with an accusation that a priest has sexually abused a child, "whether it's criminal or malicious complicity and a code of silence or whether it is denial" on a very human level, such reactions are no longer tolerable, said the Vatican's top investigator of abuse cases.
McCarrick removed from the priesthood after being found guilty of abuse

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has confirmed the removal from the priesthood of Theodore E. McCarrick, the 88-year-old former cardinal and archbishop of Washington.
Pope calls on world leaders to eradicate poverty, hunger

ROME — Sustainable development in rural areas is key to making poverty and hunger a thing of the past, Pope Francis said.
Great expectations: Vatican abuse summit has key, realistic goals

VATICAN CITY — All eyes and ears will be on the Vatican during an unprecedented gathering Feb. 21-24 to discuss the protection of minors in the Catholic Church.
Cardinal warns against being silent, in error about Catholic faith

VATICAN CITY — To keep silent about the truths of the Catholic faith or to teach the contrary is a form of religious deception that comes from the anti-Christ, said Cardinal Gerhard Muller.
Does God want religious diversity? Abu Dhabi text raises questions

VATICAN CITY — That many religions exist in the world is a fact, but what that plurality communicates to believers about God is a question that theologians are still discussing.
'Witness to Christ with love'

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Meeting with tens of thousands of Catholics living in the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis urged them to be meek, peaceful and express their Christian identity by loving others.
Pope arrives in Abu Dhabi, praying for nearby Yemen

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The sun had set long before Pope Francis arrived in Abu Dhabi Feb. 3, but Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince, and Egyptian Sheik Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar, still went to the airport to welcome him.
Real Catholic media don't look for heretics everywhere, official says

VATICAN CITY — The rise of media that call themselves Catholic but seem to exist only to judge others is less about criticizing Pope Francis and more about the misguided notion that to affirm one's own orthodoxy, one must find someone to label a heretic, said a Vatican communications official.
Arabian Peninsula has ancient Christian heritage

JUBAIL, Saudi Arabia — As Pope Francis embarks on the first-ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula, few may realize that the predominantly Muslim region carries an ancient Christian heritage.
Pope praises respect for diversity in United Arab Emirates

VATICAN CITY — "Al Salamu Alaikum," Arabic for "peace be with you," Pope Francis said at the beginning of a video message to the people of the United Arab Emirates, which he will visit Feb. 3-5.
WATCH: As World Youth Day closes, pope prompts volunteers to keep serving

PANAMA CITY — Just before leaving the physical and human warmth of Panama Jan. 27, Pope Francis stopped to thank the thousands of official volunteers, young and old, gathered at the capital city's Rommel Fernandez Stadium to tell them that they had just participated in an event similar to one that took place early in Christianity.
Prayer and silence: Pope joins World Youth Day Way of Cross

PANAMA CITY — The path walked by Jesus to his passion and death on the cross is the same path of indifference and marginalization taken by those who suffer in the world today, Pope Francis said.
Keep God's love alive, pope tells young people at World Youth Day

PANAMA CITY — Young men and women in the church can bring the joy of the Gospel to the world by showing that God's love extends to all people and excludes no one, Pope Francis said.
WATCH: Marginalized take center stage at World Youth Day 2019

PANAMA CITY — One thing is clear about World Youth Day 2019: This one is not focused on convening great masses of people, or the most influential or the loudest. Instead of highlighting the problems faced by youth in the world's richest or most populous countries, one of its first events focused on the plight of populations most of the world rarely sees or comes across: the indigenous.
Pope says it's 'grave sin' to deny God has blessed other Christians

ROME — Just as divisions in society grow when wealth is not shared, divisions within Christianity grow when the richness of gifts God has given to one Christian church or community are not recognized and shared, Pope Francis said.
Vatican releases guidelines to help church fight human trafficking

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has created a set of pastoral guidelines to inspire and improve the church's work in addressing the crime of human trafficking and the care of its victims worldwide.
Pope wants abuse summit to lead to clarity, action

VATICAN CITY — At the upcoming meeting on protecting minors, Pope Francis wants leaders of the world's bishops' conferences to clearly understand what must be done to prevent abuse, care for victims and ensure no case is whitewashed or covered up.
Faith is passed on at home, pope tells parents at baptism

VATICAN CITY — Faith isn't something learned just by studying the catechism but rather is a gift passed on to children by the example of their parents, Pope Francis said.
Seek Jesus, adore him, serve him and others, pope says on Epiphany

VATICAN CITY — People find Jesus only through humble love, and once they find him, they are called to offer him the gifts of their prayer, their adoration and their care of others, Pope Francis said.
Vatican confirms investigation is underway of bishop for abuse, misconduct

VATICAN CITY — A bishop from Argentina who had been working in the Vatican's real estate administration office is the object of a preliminary diocesan investigation after accusations came to light of sexual abuse, abuse of power and mismanagement in his former Diocese of Oran.
Pope to U.S. bishops: Abuse crisis requires conversion, humility

VATICAN CITY — The clerical abuse crisis and the "crisis of credibility" it created for the U.S. bishops have led to serious divisions within the U.S. church and to a temptation to look for administrative solutions to problems that go much deeper, Pope Francis told the U.S. bishops.
Pope prays for new year marked by tenderness, brotherhood, peace

VATICAN CITY — A new year is a chance for a new start, a time to remember that all people are brothers and sisters and a time to nurture amazement that God became human to save all people, Pope Francis said.
Top officials of Vatican press office resign

VATICAN CITY — Saying they thought Pope Francis should be "completely free to assemble a new team" for Vatican communications "at this time of transition," the director of the Vatican press office announced he and the vice director had resigned.
Vatican opens medical clinic for the homeless

VATICAN CITY — Just before Christmas the Vatican announced it had opened a new medical clinic for the homeless and the poor, expanding services previously offered in a small space just outside St. Peter's Square.
In Christmas message, pope prays for peace, brotherhood

VATICAN CITY — Delivering his formal Christmas message and blessing, Pope Francis prayed for a world where all people would recognize that they are brothers and sisters and would work for justice and for peace.
Pope: Come to the manger with love, charity, simplicity

VATICAN CITY — Jesus' birth in a stable, God's coming to earth in extreme simplicity, teaches Christians that love is more valuable than anything else and is what will change the world, Pope Francis said.
Church will spare no effort to end abuse, pope tells Curia

VATICAN CITY — Acknowledging the gravity of the clerical sexual abuse crisis, Pope Francis told members of the Roman Curia that the church's strength does not depend on its members' perfection, but on the willingness to recognize its failings and correct them.
Scapegoating migrants in political speeches is unacceptable, pope says

VATICAN CITY— In today's climate of mistrust, rejection and nationalism, the world urgently needs peacemakers and politicians who protect and lovingly serve others, Pope Francis said in his annual message for the World Day of Peace Jan. 1.
True Christmas celebrates Jesus, who is tender, humble, pope says

VATICAN CITY — With Christmas just over a week away, visitors came to St. Peter's Square with their Baby Jesus figurines for a