In a two page-letter, Pope Francis made clear not only his personal esteem for the cardinal but also that he stands by him, and the reasons for this.

While Cardinal O’Malley is perhaps the highest-ranking church official charged with examining how the church handles allegations of sexual abuse, he does not have jurisdiction over other bishops and the commission he leads does not investigate specific claims.

Archbishop Garcia-Siller recognized that this effort will be most painful for the survivors of abuse and said the Catholic Church remains committed to supporting victims in every way.

In response to the church abuse crisis, many parishes around the country have been bringing out the big guns in a spiritual sense—calling on St. Michael the Archangel to help the church.

It was only a matter of time before lay people would take it upon themselves to investigate church scandals.

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo urged bishops make this special appeal and that "we each take up the collection as soon as possible so that those most in need can receive assistance quickly."