The bishops of Poland announced they will create a commission of experts to investigate cases of abuse of minors by clergy from the past, including Karol Wojtyla's archbishopric.

Germany's Catholic bishops and lay representatives agreed to call for the church in Germany to approve blessings of same-sex unions, despite Vatican statements.

The fact that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla—the future Pope John Paul II—knew about abuse when he was an archbishop of Krakow, Poland, is neither new nor surprising, experts say.

According to a TV report from a Polish channel, John Paul II knew about priests who sexually abused children in his archdiocese of Krakow in the 1970s.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference in Germany wants to create a Synodal Council out of both clerics and lay people, but the Vatican has declared its rejection of this plan.

At the end of April, Pope Francis will travel to Hungary, where he will meet with government officials, refugees, scholars and young people in the capital of Budapest.