Reacting to the scandal of clergy sex abuse and cover-up 17 years ago, eight bishops offered a bold proposal to convene a regional synod for the church in the United States.

Cardinal Pell would walk free if the three judges acquit him of the five convictions.

Bishop Hubbard is taking a voluntary leave of absence from the Diocese of Albany to deal with the allegations, which he says "with full and complete confidence" are false.

U.S. church reforms adopted in the early 2000s have contributed to a dramatic decline in cases of child abuse by clergy. The San Diego Diocese has not had a confirmed incident of sexual abuse of a minor by any of its priests in the past 20 years, records show.

Among the dozens of priests named in new lawsuits is at least one bishop, the Most Rev. Howard Hubbard, who led the Diocese of Albany from 1977 to 2014. He is accused in a lawsuit of sexually abusing a 16-year-old in the 1990s.

“This evil affects everyone, and all communities are affected by racism,” said Bishop Shelton J. Fabre.