Recent weeks have brought a number of stories that reveal how Pope Francis aims to lead the church on this issue.

It is not enough to know that Jesus was born, like Herod, if we do not encounter him.

The Vatican has confirmed that an Argentine bishop, who resigned suddenly in 2017 for stated health reasons and then landed a top administrative job at the Holy See, is under preliminary investigation after priests accused him of sexual abuse and other misconduct.

The author of a forthcoming book on the attitudes of U.S. Catholics finds anger over the sexual abuse crisis, but also the desire for a more active role for laypeople in the church.

In a letter distributed to the bishops at the beginning of their Jan. 2-8 retreat, Pope Francis said he was convinced their response to the "sins and crimes" of abuse and "the efforts made to deny or conceal them" must be found through "heartfelt, prayerful and collective listening to the word of God and to the pain of our people."

Alessandro Gisotti, an Italian journalist who is the social media coordinator for the Dicastery for Communications, has been appointed by the pope as interim director.