Kathleen McChesney

Pope Francis condemned the abuse as a crime and called the church to solidarity with its victims in a statement some following the Catholic Church's clergy sexual abuse crisis called "the boldest we have heard from the Vatican" and others, "too little, too late."

The U.S. bishops' call for an apostolic visitation and lay-involved investigations into abuse and cover-ups was called a "good start," but at least one former National Review Board member called it "too little, too late."

Distinctly Catholic:  As the scandal surrounding former cardinal Theodore McCarrick unfolds, I am concerned about commentaries that darken counsel instead of enlightening it.

Former members of the National Review Board are calling for an independent investigation of sexual abuse of seminarians and other vulnerable adults, including allegations against one of the country's most prominent church leaders, retired Archbishop Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C.