"In this case, however, we may need to allow this fire to keep burning," Bishop Lionel Gendron of Saint-Jean-Longueuil, Quebec, said.

The apology came on the same day that Pope Francis acknowledged that the sex abuse scandal rocking the Catholic Church was driving people away.

The contributions of Hispanic Catholics to the church and society show the beauty and excitement of their people and culture, but it can be messy and complicated at times.

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark told the people of his archdiocese Sept. 21 that Pope Francis has granted his request that he stay at home to remain with them during this "time of crisis" in the U.S. church.

"I am hopeful too that it will bring some solace and healing to the victims and their families," said Donald Schmid in a Sept. 19 statement, a day after the diocese released the list.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI expressed his displeasure with the way a German cardinal publicly criticized his stepping down as pontiff, and he defended taking the title "pope emeritus."