For decades, the Los Angeles Archdiocese ignored parishioners' sex abuse complaints and shipped accused priests between therapy and new assignments, according to newly released personnel records involving 126 clergymen.

AMERICAN bishops were blamed yesterday for failing to stop widespread clerical sex abuse which resulted in almost 11,000 abuse claims against Catholic clergy over the past 50 years.

THE resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law brought relief, prayers and some sadness from Catholics who watched the priest sex abuse scandal mushroom over the past year.

THOUSANDS of newly released personnel files show that the Archdiocese of Boston went to great lengths to hide priests accused of abuse, including clergy who allegedly snorted cocaine and had sex with girls aspiring to be nuns.

Some advocates for sex abuse victims have said Pope John Paul II’s first public comments in Canada on priests who molest children sent the wrong message: that the Roman Catholic Church cares more about clergy than those who were abused.

Tom Cohen, Toronto

Sexual abuse scandals rocking the Roman Catholic church cause ‘‘a deep sense of sadness and shame’’, Pope John Paul said today.

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