Still, there is some resistance in the Vatican to taking concrete measures. Some bishops have said they consider abuse a problem that has been solved, a vestige from an earlier, less aware, era. Others believe it is drummed up by the secular news media, especially in the English-speaking world, to hurt the church.

Francis has become more aggressive this year in speaking out against abuse, accepting the resignations of Chilean bishops he once defended against accusations of covering up abuse. And he has argued that abuse, and its cover-up, are symptoms of “clericalism” — the notion that priests are more powerful than those they are supposed to serve.

On Saturday, the Vatican reiterated that it understood it needed to hold not only abusive priests accountable, but also the bishops who cover up for them.

“Both abuse and its cover-up can no longer be tolerated,” the statement said, adding that “a different treatment for bishops who have committed or covered up abuse, in fact represents a form of clericalism that is no longer acceptable.”

In July, Francis stripped Archbishop McCarrick of his rank of cardinal, prohibited him from exercising public ministry, and sentenced him to a life of prayer and penance. The steps came after “grave indications” were discovered in a preliminary investigation into the September 2017 accusation of a man who accused McCarrick of abuse in the 1970s, the statement said.

That investigation by the United States church found credible an allegation that Archbishop McCarrick, who referred to himself as “Uncle Ted,” groped the man as a teenage altar boy. Other accusations have followed, including by men who say they were abused as young teenagers.

The Vatican knew as early as 2000, during the papacy of John Paul II, about complaints from seminarians that Archbishop McCarrick was pressuring them to share his bed.