Three men and one woman who say they were sexually abused by priests decades ago filed a lawsuit Thursday against every diocese in Illinois for an alleged ongoing scheme to cover up sexual assault by priests.

The firestorm surrounding the clergy sex abuse crisis and the way some bishops handled allegations of abuse against priests will be an important part of the agenda of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' fall general assembly.

In this third letter Archbishop Viganò no longer insists that the restrictions that he claimed Benedict XVI had imposed on Archbishop McCarrick can be understood as “sanctions.”

The drama surrounding Wuerl’s resignation is only partially about Wuerl himself — it’s also about who’s next. Other bishops, also facing tough questions, could now find themselves beset by calls to follow Wuerl’s example and step down.

Just before the announcement was made, the pope met with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and discussed the sexual abuse scandal affecting the Catholic Church in the country.

"Downstate" poses a number of uncomfortable questions, relevant and challenging both in light of the ongoing #MeToo movement and the church’s continued grappling with its sexual abuse scandal.