Earlier in the week, Pope Francis announced that he'd called for senior bishops to meet in Rome to discuss the issue of sexual abuse by clergy, and the need to protect children in the church.
The Rome Bureau Chief for the Washington Post, Chico Harlan, joined Armstrong & Getty to provide the details...listen below.
,quality(10),blur(50))
Meanwhile, the Diocese of San Diego is adding eight priests to the list of those believed to have molested children.
The San Diego Union Tribune's Peter Rowe and Kristina Davis report that the new names extend the roster of predator priests established by a landmark legal case eleven years ago.
Named in the report: the Revs. Jose Chavarin, Raymond Etienne, J. Patrick Foley, Michael French, Richard Houck, George Lally and Paolino Montagna, plus Monsignor Mark Medaer.
The newly listed priests were accused of abuse after the settlement or were reported to the diocese earlier, in files that had been overlooked.
In September 2007, the diocese settled 144 claims of sexual abuse.
Rev Jose Chavarin, a Native of Mexico and a pastor at a number of San Diego area churches, is alleged to have molested three boys. He denied any wrongdoing--and ran off to Mexico. His whereabouts are unknown.
J. Patrick Foley was attached to the San Diego diocese. Foley has been living in Northern California since 1991. In 2010 he was suspended from the ministry, and charges were leveled against him for allegedly molesting two Sacramento-area boys. The trial ended without a clear verdict. He's no longer a priest, but is still offering retreats and spiritual counsel.