Pope Francis

"The presence in such relationships of positive elements ... cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing," the Vatican said Monday.

A step-by-step manual for investigating and reporting sexual abuse cases involving clergy calls on church authorities to alert civilian officials even if not required to do so by law.

Updated: 4:33 p.m. Pope Francis accepted the resignation Thursday of the auxiliary bishop of the Cincinnati Archdiocese. Bishop Joseph Binzer offered...

Bishops from the Amazon region had sought the changes to address a shortage of clergy. But some Roman Catholic conservatives warned that enacting them would lead to the end of clerical celibacy rules.

The surprise move is seen as a rebuke to Pope Francis, who is weighing whether to allow older, married men to be ordained in some South American countries, where a shortage of priests is acute.

The changes apply to cases of clergy committing violence or sexual assaults against anyone under their authority, as well as minors. The pope also changed rules about child pornography.

The papal decree also sets up new procedures to hold more-senior church authorities such as bishops accountable for committing abuse or for covering up the crimes of others.

At the end of his four-day summit, Pope Francis called priests who had abused minors "instruments of Satan." But critics said his address did not offer a strong enough message against clergy abuse.

American Catholics have become disappointed as Pope Francis described the meeting as featuring "prayer and discernment" — hardly an ambitious vision for what could have been a momentous event.

Priests who sexually abuse children are like Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus Christ, Pope Francis told a gathering of cardinals on Friday.