Retired Bishop Joseph H. Hart of Cheyenne will face a Vatican trial for allegations that he sexually abused several minors years ago.

Transparency and honesty are key elements of restoring the trust of the laity, especially young people, said two bishops who participated in a Facebook Live event sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops during its spring general assembly.

A nationwide third-party system for receiving confidential reports of “certain complaints” against bishops took a step closer to being implemented during the spring general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

I knew who I needed to talk to process this news: my mom, an account who once worked for the Archdiocese of Washington.

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.