As has been the case for years now, a small group of protesters dismissive of the U.S. bishops' efforts to enact reforms in their handling of sexual abuse cases gather outside the Baltimore hotel where they conduct their general meeting. This spring is no different.

The possibility that bishops would have the option of handling claims of misconduct or mismanagement without the involvement of laypeople troubled the head of the church’s highest sexual abuse commission.

A poll released Tuesday found that 69 percent of U.S. Catholics believe the clergy sexual abuse scandal is “an ongoing problem.”

From Michigan to New Mexico this month, attorneys general are sifting through files on clergy sex abuse, seized through search warrants and subpoenas at dozens of archdioceses.

After a year of crisis, the U.S. bishops are still failing to respond adequately to the people they serve, writes Sam Sawyer, S.J.

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, who is overseeing the investigation into the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West. Va., expressed regret over how he has handled transparency issues.