Pope Francis has admitted that Catholic priests have sexually abused nuns in the church, confirming previous abuse reports.

What are the details?

On Monday, the pope publicly confirmed reports of priests abusing nuns in the church. In December, news that the Vatican began investigating such allegations went public. The allegations came from several nuns belonging to a small, Chilean order who alleged sexual abuse and mistreatment at the hands of the church's priests.

In 2018, an investigative report from Chilean national TV unearthed allegations from at least six current and former nuns who have claimed that fellow nuns were dismissed from the order after making public allegations of sexual abuse. In response to the allegations, Pope Francis sent Vatican investigators to question the sisters about the allegations and purported cover-up.

The Associated Press also previously reported that the Vatican was well aware of the existence of sexual misconduct against nuns at the hands of priests but has done nothing to end it.

During a Tuesday tour of the Middle East, the Pope told reporters that priests as well as bishops had previously abused nuns — with some nuns being forced into "sexual slavery" — and that the Church was aware and "working on it."

"It's a path we've been on," Pope Francis said.

"Pope Benedict had the courage to dissolve a female congregation which was at a certain level, because this slavery of women had entered it — slavery, even to the point of sexual slavery — on the part of the clerics or the founder," the pope said, and revealed that the issue was ongoing.

In his remarks, the pope urged priests and bishops guilty of such behaviors to turn themselves in.

Anything else?

Last week, Women Church World — the Vatican's women's magazine — denounced the sex abuse and said that in some cases sisters were required to abort priests' unborn babies that were born as a result of rape.

Lucetta Scaraffia, editor of the publication, wrote, "If the Church continues to close its eyes to the scandal — made even worse by the fact that abuse of women brings about procreation and is therefore at the origin of forced abortions and children who aren't recognised by priests — the oppression of women in the Church will never change."