Surrounded by 15,000 white-robed priests the pope begged forgiveness from clerical abuse victims today and promised to “do everything possible” to protect the world’s children.

The Vatican issued new psychological screening guidelines for future priests today – the latest effort by the Catholic Church to be more selective about who it recruits following a series of sex scandals.

THE Catholic Diocese of Orange in California is to pay out $100 million (€76m) in the largest single settlement in the Church's child sexual-abuse scandal.

US victims of sex abuse by clergy have said the new policy to discipline priests does not go far enough.