Joshua J. McElwee

Pope Francis has removed a Nigerian bishop whose 2012 appointment sparked years of protest from the diocese's priests, backing down from a confrontation eight months after threatening to suspend the priests should they continue to agitate.

Pope Francis renewed the mandate of his clergy sexual abuse commission Feb. 17, two months after the group's lapse into an inactive state led some survivor advocates to question whether protecting children was being given the highest priority in the Catholic Church.

"The next Synod of Bishops wants to be, in fact, not only a synod 'on' young people but 'for' young people, and also not a synod 'of' young people but 'with' young people," Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri said.

Pope Francis has changed Catholic Church law to allow non-cardinal bishops serving in the Vatican's bureaucracy to continue to hold their offices past the age of 75, when they had previously lost their positions automatically.

Pope Francis revealed in a meeting with confreres of his Jesuit order last month that he meets with survivors of sexual abuse on a nearly weekly basis, according to a newly released transcript.

The Australian embassy to the Holy See held a small commemoration ceremony Feb. 13 for Rosemary Goldie, the late Australian who was the first woman to hold a leadership post at the Vatican.

A series of daylong seminars will be led by a team of theologians and bishops, aimed at helping U.S. bishops better implement Pope Francis' exhortation on family life.

In a speech at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom Feb. 9, Cardinal Blase Cupich reflected on Amoris Laetitia, calling aspects of it "nothing short of revolutionary." He said that some critics should consider it in light of the new and various struggles facing families today.

Pope Francis urged a global coalition fighting human trafficking Feb. 9 to examine how society has tolerated or even turned a blind eye to the exploitation of vulnerable people.

Organizers of the Voices of Faith event have blasted the Vatican for reportedly withholding permission for three of its 2018 speakers, including former Irish president Mary McAleese. 

Pope Francis has added his voice to those calling for the stop of the spreading of so-called "fake news," comparing those who distribute disinformation to the Devil. But, in a new message, the pontiff does not acknowledge that claims of false news have been used recently by politicians such as U.S. President Donald Trump to discredit factual reporting for political purposes.

ON THE PAPAL PLANE -- Pope Francis has again defended his appointment of a Chilean bishop accused of covering up clergy sexual abuse, renewing a claim that accounts against the prelate are "calumny," a claim that survivor advocates say has brought the Catholic Church back to the bleakest point of the abuse crisis.

Lima, Peru - In one of his last events of his four-day visit to the country, Francis told Peruvian bishops to speak out on behalf of their people even when it may upset the powerful.

Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley, one of Pope Francis' key advisors on clergy sexual abuse, acknowledged Jan. 20 that the pontiff's defense of a Chilean bishop accused of covering up abuse was "a source of great pain" for survivors.

HUANCHACO and TRUJILLO, PERU: Pope Francis has called attention to gang-related killings in Peru's northern regions, lamenting the "devastating effects" of the violence during a Mass Jan. 20 with hundreds of thousands on the country's Pacific Coast.

Pope Francis exhorted Peru's political leaders Jan. 19 to fight what he termed the "social virus" of corruption in a speech at the country's executive mansion less than a month since President Pedro Kuczynski narrowly escaped impeachment.

Puerto Maldonado, Peru -- "We have to break with the historical paradigm that views Amazonia as an inexhaustible source of supplies for other countries without concern for its inhabitants," Francis said.

Iquique, Chile -- Updated: Pope Francis defended his 2015 appointment of a Chilean bishop accused of covering-up sexual abuse perpetrated by a fellow priest in the 1980s and '90s, calling the charges against the prelate "calumny."

Pope Francis wrapped up his three-day visit to Chile Jan. 18 by asking the country to protect the record numbers of migrants crossing its borders to benefit from its economy, Latin America's most vibrant, from those who would take advantage of them.

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT -- Pope Francis undertook another surprising first Jan. 18, marrying two flight attendants at 36,000 feet above Chile aboard his flight from Santiago to Iquique.