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VATICAN CITY - Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati of Santiago, Chile, has become the eighth Chilean prelate to have his resignation accepted by Pope Francis since almost every bishop in Chile offered to step down in May 2018. Cardinal Ezzati has faced widespread criticism for his handling of clergy abuse cases in the country.

MONTREAL - Father Claude Grou, rector of St. Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal, was stabbed during a Mass March 22. The motive for the attack remains unknown. ​​​​​​​He was taken to the hospital and was in stable condition, said a statement from the Archdiocese of Montreal.

DUBLIN - An Irish bishop has criticized Catholics who identify as "faith-filled" while spreading fear and mistrust of immigrants, particularly those who are Muslims. Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin spoke in the wake of what he described as a "savage attack" on two mosques in New Zealand that left at least 50 people dead.

DUBLIN - Under new plans being considered, Irish seminarians would spend most of their time working in parishes rather than in the traditional seminary environment.

UNITED NATIONS - Women should not be required to divest themselves of femininity to achieve empowerment and gender equality, according to panelists at a March 19 event at the United Nations.

In a new book, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, writes that the Vatican's recent agreement with the Chinese government was motivated by a desire to spread the Gospel and assure freedom of the church.

WARSAW, Poland - A top Polish Catholic leader, named the first bishops' conference delegate for child protection, welcomed a church report on sexual abuse by clergy in his country and vowed efforts to combat it.

The Catholic Church in Germany is at a point where serious debate -- including on priestly celibacy and the role of women -- and openness to doing things in a new way must encouraged, said the president of the German bishops' conference.

MELBOURNE, Australia - Cardinal George Pell, 77, Australia’s most powerful Catholic prelate and until recently a top official at the Vatican, was sentenced to six years in prison March 13, three months after a jury convicted him of sexual offending to young boys in the Melbourne cathedral in 1996 and 1997.

MANILA, Philippines - Three Catholic priests, known for being outspoken against a wave of drug-related killings, claimed they have received death threats in recent weeks. The three told a hastily organized media briefing March 11 that they fear for their lives.

ROME – The Catholic sisters who took part in Pope Francis’ summit on clergy sexual abuse say they hope the presence of a dozen women at the gathering sets a standard for a growing presence of women at Vatican meetings of bishops.

VATICAN CITY – In a world of different religions, cultures and languages, art has the capacity to bring people together and inspire them to take action in addressing critical challenges, said a Vatican official.

SYDNEY – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has reiterated the Communist Party's commitment to make religion more culturally Chinese, underscoring what many see are problems with the secret agreement on the appointment of bishops, signed in September between the Vatican and Beijing.

Speakers highlighted the reality of abuse across the global church at a panel Feb. 19, as discussions ranged from New Mexico to India and Uganda. Santa Clara University’s Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley hosted a panel of speakers, including the Diocese of San Jose’s Coadjutor Bishop Oscar Cantu, to discuss abuse within the diverse contexts of the global church.

VATICAN CITY – “Every time I refused to have sex with him, he would beat me,” an abuse survivor from Africa told Pope Francis and bishops attending the Vatican summit on child protection and the abuse crisis.

ROME – People must stop using homosexuals as scapegoats for the sexual abuse of children, two male survivors of abuse by priests told reporters.

VATICAN CITY – The Catholic Church needs “new legal structures of accountability” for bishops accused of sexual abuse or of negligence in handling abuse allegations, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago told the Vatican summit on safeguarding.

VATICAN CITY – The hypocrisy of Catholic leaders who claimed to be guardians of morality yet remained silent about clerical sexual abuse has left the church’s credibility in shambles, an African woman religious told bishops at the Vatican summit on abuse.

LIMA, Peru – Throughout Latin America, people whose lives and land have been affected by industries that extract natural resources, such as mining or oil operations, find strength in their spirituality, church leaders say.

VATICAN CITY – If they are truly serious about fighting clerical sex abuse, bishops must join forces with journalists and not view them as enemies plotting against the Catholic Church, Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki said.