Pope Leo XIV affirmed that priests must be celibate and insisted that bishops take “firm and decisive” action to deal with sex abusers, as he gave marching orders on June 26 to the world’s Catholic hierarchs.

Leo met in St. Peter’s Basilica with about 400 bishops and cardinals from 38 countries attending a special Holy Year celebration for clergy in June. A day after he gave an uplifting message of encouragement to young seminarians, Leo offered a more comprehensive outline of what bishops must do to lead their flocks.

It is an issue the former Cardinal Robert Prevost would have long pondered, given his role as the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops. In that job from 2023 until his election in May, the Chicago-born Prevost vetted bishop nominations for Pope Francis, identifying

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