Pope Francis has called for U.S. bishops to meet at the Vatican this week to discuss the abuse revelations shaking the Catholic Church, months before his global conference on sexual abuse.
On Tuesday, the Vatican said leaders from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will meet with the pope on Thursday. USCCB President Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and President of the Political Commission for the Portion of Minors Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley will both attend.
The Vatican also announced Thursday that the pope decided to call bishops from around the world to a conference about the “protection of minors.” Presidents from the Episcopal Conferences, like the USCCB, will all gather in February 2019.
The announcement comes as abuse allegations rise in Catholic dioceses around the world.
The revelations released by a grand jury report in Pennsylvania of long-standing abuse that was covered up for decades sparked the surge of scrutiny into the church’s handling of allegations against priests.
Attorneys general in five states — New York, New Jersey, Nebraska, Illinois and Missouri — have all launched investigations of their own into sexual abuse allegations in dioceses across their states.
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• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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