Pope Francis updated the statutes for the Pontifical Academy of Theology, which hadn't been revised in nearly 25 years, urging theologians to consider the challenges of ordinary people.

The comments came as U.S. lawmakers in Washington, D.C., have been debating how to overhaul the nation's health insurance laws.

"It is a sin that shames us," Pope Francis wrote. "Persons responsible for the protection of those children destroyed their dignity."