Pope Francis' role in Argentina's most famous case of priestly sex abuse is coming under renewed scrutiny as he faces the greatest crisis of his papacy over the Catholic Church's troubled legacy of cover-up and allegations he himself sided with the accused.

Bransfield had been implicated in 2012 in an infamous Philadelphia priestly sex abuse case.

Tosatti said he told Vigano: “I think that if you want to say something, now is the moment.”

Cardinal Wuerl “categorically denied” ever being informed that his predecessor had been sanctioned for sexual misconduct.

The letter, an extraordinary j'accuse from a one-time Holy See diplomat, also accuses Pope Francis of having initially rehabilitated McCarrick despite being informed of his penchant for young seminarians in 2013, soon after he was elected pope.

A prominent Irish survivor of priestly sexual abuse told a Vatican-sponsored conference Friday that the Holy See must put in place "robust structures" and strong sanctions to hold accountable bishops and Vatican officials who fail protect children from predator priests.

Pope Francis prepares to visit Ireland, a country rocked by decades of revelations about sexual abuse of children in its churches, the physical torture of youngsters in its schools and the humiliation of women in its workhouses.

Pope Francis issued a letter to Catholics around the world Monday condemning the "crime" of priestly sexual abuse and its cover-up and demanding accountability.

A new survey has found that the majority of U.S. Catholic religious orders believe women should be allowed to serve as ordained deacons.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, head of the Vatican's family and laity office, spoke as the U.S. church hierarchy has come under fire from ordinary American Catholics outraged that ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick's misconduct with men was apparently an open secret in some U.S. church circles.