VATICAN – Pope Francis spent nearly three hours with bishops from Chile discussing the sexual abuse crisis that has rocked the church in the country, a Chilean bishop said.

CARACAS, Venezuela – The Venezuelan bishops' conference has labeled the new government of Nicolas Maduro "illegitimate" and called for a "change in government."

After an extraordinary year of bickering and division in the U.S. Church, some 200 American bishops have listened to Pope Francis and taken a timeout. They gathered in early January for a six-day retreat near Chicago where they were encouraged to be silent and to pray.

KINSHASA – Catholic church leaders in Congo have questioned the official outcome of the Dec. 30 elections, saying the officially published results "do not correspond with the data collected" by the church's 40,000 observers.

VATICAN – The surprising news in November that the Vatican had asked U.S. bishops not to vote on several proposals for responding to the sexual abuse crisis was motivated by a lack of time given the Vatican to study the proposals and potential conflicts with church law, according to a letter obtained by the Associated Press.

VATICAN – Before traveling to Rome for a major Vatican summit on the clerical sex abuse crisis and child protection, each participating bishop should meet with survivors of abuse, said the committee organizing the meeting.

ROME – Three female survivors of sexual abuse by priests called on church leaders preparing for a February summit at the Vatican to listen to the voices of victims and to end a "culture of cover-up" that has dragged on for decades.

Discussing Church scandals at a pub was unusual for Fr. Jack Costello, but the informal setting allowed young adults to learn about scandals in a safe and social environment.

VATICAN – The approach of Pope Francis’ meeting of bishops in February, on the topic of abuse prevention in the Church, will reflect the synodal journey, Fr. Hans Zollner told Vatican Media Friday.

NAIROBI, Kenya – Catholic bishops in South Sudan and Sudan appealed to the citizens of the two countries -- including those in diaspora -- to work harder for peace, telling them, "True peace can only be built by citizens like you."

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.

From Oct. 3-28, our YSN reporting team followed the discussions taking place in Rome at the Synod of Bishops on young people. Below, a few members from across the country share their own thoughts. 

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The Synod of Bishops on young people is over but Emilie Callan will be unpacking a month full of memories for a long time. 

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Ethiopia's bishops welcomed the election of the nation's first female president, Sahle-Work Zewde, and said they were pleased that women "are getting their rightful place in the development of the country."

VATICAN – For every Christian, but especially for those called to ministry, God's gift of life is a call to serve others, Pope Francis said at a memorial Mass for bishops and cardinals who have died in the past year.