vatican

"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.

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.

"At the insistence of the Holy See, we will not be voting" on a standard of conduct and other actions, said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

As the Catholic Church deals with new sex-abuse revelations, the pope opened a three-week gathering of bishops in Rome Saturday on how to make the Church relevant for young people.