Pope Francis has for the first time publicly acknowledged the scandal of priests and bishops sexually abusing nuns and said he is committed to doing more to fight the problem.
In November, the organisation representing all of the world's female Catholic religious orders, the International Union of Superiors General, publicly denounced the "culture of silence and secrecy" that prevented nuns from speaking out and urged sisters to report abuse to their superiors and police.
Pope Francis said some clergy had been suspended for mistreating sisters, but he also noted the mistreatment of women was a problem in society at large, where women were still considered "second-class citizens".