Nicole Winfield

A global look at the Catholic Church’s sex abuse problem

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis’ high-stakes sex abuse prevention summit is meant to call attention to the crisis as a global problem that requires a global response. His decision was...

Sex abuse survivors to meet with Vatican summit organizers

VATICAN CITY – The organizers of Pope Francis’ summit on preventing clergy sex abuse will meet this week with a dozen abuse victims who have descended on Rome to protest the Catholic Church’...

U.S. nuns urge changes to church structure to address abuse

VATICAN CITY – The largest association of religious sisters in the United States called Thursday for an overhaul of the male-led leadership structure of the Catholic Church, after Pope Franc...

Pope reaffirms priest celibacy but makes case for exception

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE – Pope Francis is ruling out any lifting of the celibacy requirement for priests but says there’s reason to consider ordaining older, married men in remote communities...

Pope lowers expectations for next month’s sex abuse summit

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE – Pope Francis has sought to lower expectations from his big sex abuse prevention summit next month. Francis told reporters returning from Panama on Sunday ...

McCarrick accuser cooperates with NYC prosecutors on abuse

VATICAN CITY – The key accuser in the sex abuse case against ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has met with New York City prosecutors, evidence that the scandal that has convulsed the papacy is...

Vatican spokesman, deputy resign amid crisis period for pope

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican spokesman, Greg Burke, and his deputy resigned abruptly Monday amid an overhaul of the Vatican’s communications operations and a crisis period in Pope Francis’ pap...

Pope: Forgo greed and gluttony of Christmas for simple love

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis urged Christians on Monday to forgo the greed, gluttony and materialism of Christmas and to focus instead on its message of simplicity, charity and love. ...

Victims, accountability on agenda at pope’s sex abuse summit

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican on Tuesday released the first details of Pope Francis’ upcoming high-stakes sex abuse prevention summit, making clear that bishops attending the gathering must rea...

Global Catholic nuns urge reporting of sex abuse to police

ROME – The Catholic Church’s global organization of nuns has denounced the “culture of silence and secrecy” surrounding sexual abuse in the church and is urging sisters who have been abused ...

U.S. religious orders asked to ID priest abusers

NEW YORK – The umbrella organization of Catholic religious orders in the U.S. is suggesting that its members consider voluntarily identifying priests accused of sexual abuse, opening up what...

Issue of married Catholic priests gains traction under pope

VATICAN CITY – As the Vatican copes with the growing clergy sex abuse scandal and declining number of priests worldwide, it is laying the groundwork to open formal debate on an issue that ha...