Religious historians have said that when the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church first came to light in the United States in the mid-1980s, the Vatican responded that it was a special case in the United States.

Religious historians have said that when the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal first came to light in the United States in the mid-1980s, the Vatican responded that it was only a special case in the United States.

When the same scandal occurred in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Australia, it was again blamed on the English-speaking Church. Later, when scandals broke out in Germany, Belgium, France and Austria around 2010, the church blamed them on the development of sexual liberalism in the developed world. Now, incidents of priests sexually abusing children have been exposed in Chile and the Philippines.

Now, the Vatican may finally be treating the church's sexual abuse scandal as a global crisis rather than a problem for a particular country. On September 12 (Wednesday), Pope Francis announced that he would convene bishops from all over the world to hold an unprecedented meeting at the end of February next year, focusing on the issue of protecting minors. This means that for the first time bishops from around the world have been called to a meeting with a specific agenda.

Professor Ernesto Caffo, a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, said that convening all bishops was a key decision by the pope and that the meeting would play a key role in preventing sexual abuse in the church.

Cafu said that the meeting will focus on training bishops on the detection of sexual abuse, mutual accountability and intervention measures. They will also be educated on how to listen to victims. The guidelines are intended to protect not only children, but also relatively vulnerable adults, such as people with disabilities and seminary students.

The call comes at a time when the pope is facing increasing pressure: sexual abuse scandals within the Catholic Church have frequently made headlines around the world.

At the end of this month, Germany will release a report showing that from 1946 to 2014, approximately 1,670 clergy sexually abused 3,677 children during this period. The victims are mainly boys, and more than half are under the age of 13. Among these priests, only 38% were prosecuted, but most received "lenient sentences."

According to the New York Times, after the Boston church sexual abuse scandal was exposed in 2002, American churches adopted some strict measures, such as mandatory reporting of sexual abuse allegations to civil authorities and a "zero tolerance" policy: those who have committed sexual abuse will be permanently expelled from the clergy. Yet around the world, churches can set their own standards, and there are places where no standards are set at all.

Despite numerous reports, films, documentaries and media reports from many countries, the Vatican has been slow to respond to the endless sexual assault scandals with only apologies and "acknowledgments of harm".

After Francis took office in 2013, people had high hopes for him to systematically address abuse and hold relevant bishops accountable. Initially, Francis also planned to take action on the proposal of a special commission on sexual assault, but later abandoned the plan due to obstacles, much to the dismay of sexual assault victims.

Last month, Francis spoke in response to criticism of the lack of special courts to hear related matters, saying that the move was impractical and inconvenient for bishops from different cultures. "Bishops are tried by a court, but it cannot always be the same court."

On Thursday, September 13, an organization representing victims of sexual abuse in the German Catholic Church issued a statement calling for an independent investigation: "We do not have the names of the perpetrators... We cannot find the responsible bishops, who have been building and perfecting this sexual assault and its cover-up system for decades."

Now it is clear: an organization composed of criminals and conspirators cannot reform itself.

​The " Guardian " editorial pointed out that for conservatives, this is evidence that gay clergy are corrupting the church. However, it is unrealistic and unfair to expect the church to purge tens of thousands of gay priests and bishops.

The problem of sexual assault and its cover-up is about honesty and power. The Catholic Church's current dishonesty on sexual matters is systemic; at the same time, clergy cannot tolerate secular authority over their own lives and actions. The editorial stated that this transfer of power cannot be delayed. When sexual abuse allegations come to light, bishops must be held accountable by lay people, not just their clergy peers. This will help restore the church's credibility.