VATICAN – A bishop must be "blameless" and at the service of God, not of cliques, assets and power, especially if he is ever to "set right" what needs to be done for the church, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – Speaking on behalf of all adult Catholics, Pope Francis formally closed the Synod of Bishops by asking young people for forgiveness.

VATICAN – The more than 250 Catholic bishops from around the world meeting at the Vatican in October missed an opportunity to confront the global sex abuse crisis, said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia.

Pope Francis had little or no choice but to accept the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop in Washington, D.C.

VATICAN – The church needs to further integrate women into ecclesial life to confront the problems of clericalism and an exaggerated sense of masculinity, a Vatican official told the Synod of Bishops.

VATICAN  Catholics need to help the church along a path of "deep spiritual renewal," Pope Francis told Jesuits from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Is it possible for a Catholic bishop to not know sex with children is a crime? 

OTTAWA – New sexual abuse policies which Canada’s bishops have vowed to implement will focus on prevention, but will not include a mechanism to censure a bishop who commits or covers up an offence.

VATICAN – In response to current scandals, clericalism and the need for reform, Catholic women must take the initiative and make their voices be heard, according to a series of articles in a Vatican magazine.

What does he want?

Re: Abuse Survivor demands ‘real’ change (Sept. 16):

I am shocked and very much disappointed by your giving publicity to this “abuse victim.” What changes does he really want? When he calls for “real” change founded on “honesty and accountability” does he imply that Pope Francis is dishonest?     

For several months, I have been attending yoga classes. As a tall man who has been crammed into ill-fitting chairs and desks all my life, I find these classes difficult. My body is stiff. I can be frustrated because of my inability to do poses others do so readily.

PHEONIX, Ariz. – Toronto's Cardinal Thomas Collins has a provocative message for priests, bishops, and seminarians struggling to attain holiness: “You must become fire.”

Before I became a Catholic 10 years ago I viewed the papacy as a monarchy, representing great strength and self-assurance. 

Parishioners at St. Luke’s Parish in Thornhill, Ont., like Catholics around the world, have been wounded by the Church’s sexual abuse scandals. Now they’re ready to apply a little talk therapy to the wounds.

WASHINGTON – Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, and has instructed Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore to conduct an investigation into allegations that Bishop Bransfield sexually harassed adults.