VATICAN – The barque of the church is being buffeted by strong winds of scandal created by its own members, Pope Francis told a group of priests from France.

VATICAN – Signaling his belief that the Catholic Church is facing a serious crisis, Pope Francis asked every Catholic in the world to pray for the protection of the church from attacks by the devil, but also that the church would be more aware of its sins and stronger in its efforts to combat abuse.

VATICAN – Pope Francis expelled from the priesthood a Chilean who gained notoriety for sexually abusing young men in his parish.

WASHINGTON – The Archdiocese of Washington announced Sept. 28 that former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, who was removed from ministry earlier this year after abuse allegations came to light, is now living in Kansas in a friary for Capuchin Franciscan friars.

VATICAN – Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the former nuncio to the United States who accused Pope Francis and church officials of failing to act on accusations of sexual abuse, urged a top Vatican official to release documents that would prove his allegations.

For several months, I have been attending yoga classes. As a tall man who has been crammed into ill-fitting chairs and desks all my life, I find these classes difficult. My body is stiff. I can be frustrated because of my inability to do poses others do so readily.

Miami Bishop Thomas Wenski was achingly correct when he stated in a recent homily that the storm pounding the Church is not a crisis of faith, but one of leadership.

WASHINGTON – To be a voice for victims of clerical sexual abuse, Fr. Brendan McGuire realized he had to come to terms with the abuse he suffered at the hands of a priest when he was 18. It was a secret he had held for 35 years.

A priest in Windsor, Ont., has been removed from his duties as the Diocese of London investigates  allegations of inappropriate conduct.

One of the world’s leading experts in Church law as it applies to the liturgy has been removed as a full professor at Ottawa’s Saint Paul University after a complaint from a man who says he was abused as a teen.

The head of the German bishops conference formally apologized for sexual abuse in the church, saying it "has been denied, turned away from and covered up for far too long."

PHEONIX, Ariz. – Toronto's Cardinal Thomas Collins has a provocative message for priests, bishops, and seminarians struggling to attain holiness: “You must become fire.”

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT TO ROME – The Catholic Church has grown in its understanding of the horror of clerical sexual abuse and of the "corruption" of covering it up, Pope Francis said.

CORNWALL, Ont. – The sexual abuse crisis is like a fire that should be left to burn in order to purify the Church, said the president of Canada’s bishops’ conference.

CORNWALL, Ont. – Pope Francis is grateful for the support of Canada’s bishops during this time of difficulty in the Church, said the Vatican’s ambassador to Canada.