Every active Catholic bishop in Chile offered to resign Friday over a sex abuse and cover-up scandal within the Chilean Roman Catholic Church. The unprecedented move by the 31 bishops comes after Pope Francis called for a meeting with the national bishops’ conference over the case of Bishop Juan Barros, who faced accusations of ignoring abuse by the Rev. Fernando Karadima. Francis said an investigation by two Vatican sex crimes experts showed “grave defects” in the way Chilean church authorities handled the abuse reports.

Pope Francis on Wednesday admitted he made “grave errors” in judgment regarding a massive sex abuse scandal in Chile. In a letter written to Chile’s bishops, Francis said he was wrong to strongly defend Bishop Juan Barros—a protégé of notorious predator priest the Rev. Fernando Karadima—during a January visit to Chile. Karadima’s victims have long denounced Barros, claiming he witnessed the abuse and did nothing.

Perhaps you’ve heard the news that the Vatican and the Chinese government are on the verge of signing an agreement on appointing bishops, a deal that could re-establish relations between China and the Roman Catholic Church. Though not yet official, the deal is part of ongoing negotiations that have lasted for years. Today’s China Snapshot gives a brief explainer. (See also “In Caesar’s shadow,” Nov. 26, 2016.)

Pope Francis on Friday defended a Chilean bishop accused of covering up sexual assaults and said the accusations against him amounted to “calumny.” Bishop Juan Barros was the protégé of the Rev. Fernando Karadima, whom the Vatican dismissed in 2011 for assaulting dozens of minors over decades. Several victims said Barros knew about the assaults but did nothing. The case sparked further outrage in 2015 when the pope appointed him as bishop. “The day they bring me proof against Bishop Barros, I’ll speak,” Francis said. “There is not one shred of proof against him.

Pope Francis began his visit to Chile on Tuesday by begging for forgiveness for the “irreparable damage” done by priests who raped and molested children in a scandal that damaged the Catholic Church’s reputation in the country. Francis delivered his speech to Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, lawmakers, judges, and other officials at La Moneda palace in Santiago, Chile’s capital. “I am one with my other bishops, for it is right to ask for forgiveness and make every effort to support the victims, even as we commit ourselves to ensuring that such things do not happen again,” he said.

Cardinal Bernard Law, the former archbishop of Boston who was publicly disgraced for his failure to stop child molesters in the priesthood, died early Wednesday, according to the Vatican. He was 86. Law had been sick and was recently hospitalized. In 2002, The Boston Globe revealed that Law had orchestrated a cover-up plan to transfer dozens of abusive clergy from parish to parish without notifying parents or police.

A year ago, I wrote a story about the fiery, 85-year-old former Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong and his staunch opposition to an agreement between the Chinese government and the Vatican, which at the time was believed to be months away. The Chinese Communist Party cut ties with the Vatican in 1951.