The pope’s comments and the timing of them suggest that a revision of the Catechism of the Catholic Church may be forthcoming to reflect this new development in the church’s understanding.

The pope was speaking on Oct. 5 at an assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Cardinal Parolin said that “the sexual abuse of minors constitutes a very vast and widespread phenomenon."

“It’s not about scaremongering. It’s about protecting children from abuse on the internet.”

The pope “offers the promise of his prayers for the injured and for all who have died, entrusting them to the merciful love of Almighty God.”

A pioneering international congress on the risks to children in the digital world will be hosted by the Jesuit-run Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, from Oct. 3 to 6.