Pope Francis

Pope Francis offered some controversial remarks on Earth Days when he asserted that we have sinned against the earth and that natural disasters are the result of Earth lashing out.

On Sunday, Pope Francis delivered an Easter message of hope for those affected by the coronavirus, challenging world leaders to work together for the common good while addressing the pandemic.

But one year after a summit on sex abuse at the Vatican, Peter Isely, a clergy abuse survivor and founding member of the U.S. based SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), shares that, while the rhetoric adopted by Pope Francis “would get an A plus,” the follow-up and actions undertaken receive a “D minus.”

 At the Vatican's Christmas vigil Mass on Tuesday, Pope Francis reminded the church of the redeeming power of grace and admonishing them to “take courage,” because “God loves you.”

On Tuesday, Pope Francis removed the age-old rule that allowed pontifical secrecy in cases of sexual assault, sex abuse and cover-ups.

“I wish to encourage the beautiful family tradition of preparing the nativity scene in the days before Christmas, but also the custom of setting it up in the workplace, in schools, hospitals, prisons and town squares,” the pope wrote in Admirabile Signum. “It is my hope that this custom will never be lost and that, wherever it has fallen into disuse, it can be rediscovered and revived.”

Pope Francis met one on one with American Jesuit priest James Martin at the Vatican on Monday (Sept. 30) to discuss LGBTQ Catholics, a move some advocates say is a signal of support for a priest who has come under fire for calling on Catholics to be more compassionate to LGBTQ people.

During informal conversations with Jesuit clergy in Africa, Pope Francis opened up about his spirituality after being made pope — and criticized clericalism in the Catholic Church for its fixation on sex rather than equity and integrity.

Finally, 17 years to the month after a major clergy sex scandal forced them to crack down on priests who abuse children, the Catholic bishops of the United States have set up a system designed — at least in theory — to hold their own feet to the fire if they cover up abuse.

Pope Francis has acknowledged for the first time the sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops, saying he is committed to making the changes to stop it.