Transcript for Pope Francis declines to comment on allegations

Want to get right to Pope Francis facing calls for his resignation. Amid accusations that he failed to take action against an American cardinal accused of sexual abuse at a Pope was in Ireland over the weekend where he made a big apology. And our Julie McFarland is covering it all force Julia won't what do we know so far about this accusation against the hi Dan say this is a lasso that has been published by another cardinal who is being. Deeply deeply critical of paper on this in this laissez he has. Revealed that this explosive allegations that Pitt Frances knew if the many yeah is of these sexual assault. Allegations against cardinal McCarrick. Not the allegations stem back to decades ago when he was a priest in New York. He allegedly abused a number of seminarians. Now he steps down he resigned from office lost last month. But this last which many which has divided a lot of the Catholic leadership the cardinals who have. According to pick on since defense other surrounding. Against him saying that's. The fact that he allegedly knew and was not written about it and did not apply a previous sanctions against the cardinals. Cardinal McCarrick off to the allegations made. Public. That he that he really should resign now the timing of all of this is interesting too because. We we've known obviously about other accusations of sexual abuse with in the church predominantly the big case in Boston a few years back but. Even recently we've seen other accusations come out in Chile in Australia. You know as well as others in Philadelphia. So what is the general tone of all of this could this be of big moment of change for the Catholic Church. I think this says Dion in recent U is that have been a number of wider ranging investigations into a systematic. Child abuse and subsequent cover ups by the chats and you know this papal visits an island. A papal visit to Ireland is normally always seeing Isaac as a sort of him coming for the pay in 1979 when paint John Paul the second. Visited that the streets were thronged with found. With the faithful and he met was met with rapturous applause seems so different now when pair of bronze this this did this weekend's now. What we have seen in recent years we have seen. Aptly be incredible investigation sticking up. Huge numbers of child abuse. In the Catholic touched in Australia lost era commission found that almost four and a half thousand children. Had been abuse. By 7% of all priests in Australia in Pennsylvania recently we still about. Since and the loss seventieth. 300 priests had to be used more than a thousand children. In Ireland the Ryan commission the Ryan report which has been looking into historical cases excuse. Dot finds that that he thousand children had been abused at a number of institutions. Across the country now this this papal visit to also coincided with a period of change island. It's a re re analyzing its relationship with the Catholic Church we've seen landmark referendums wag the Irish have data to legalize abortion. And legalize gay marriage now. It is clear becoming some kind of reckoning with that its identity as a Catholic country. Of course this visit has coincided with a look. And that of people an island his that that they would gain two boy caught. It fronts as the bands they weren't gonna time out what they were gonna protest. And I think this is really really. Sort of vindictive of the widespread anger across the wild I mean the touched the Roman Catholic charts an institution a global institution of one point two. Billion people and a global institution that has a cooler ample. Tainted record and Catholics every Sunday. Every day if if you're a Catholic priest you stand up and you say. I confess still like to go it four. The decisions in my thoughts and in what type failed to do I'm. The touch is clearly. Failing. To practice what it preaches. I know the Pope while in Ireland also made this big apology who was he hoping to reach with that and did it work. While Pitt Frances met with denying that survivors of sexual abuse while he was in an island. On fast say. I and a week before his visit he had written an eighth and last. Addressing all of these mounting invest at all these mounting allegations of child abuse on I'm cover up. Picking probably to sort of quell the kind of antagonism that people wire X we're expecting that he would be met life. I didn't think that maybe whet he he he gave an unplanned speech again. On Sunday. Again sort of a describing the shame of the chat. But it failed to frankly. Addressed the box Ken's role on the chat has a floor touches that set in covering up. These crimes and and maybe ending it and he did not apologize on behalf. All of the chives and dot with I think. What a lot of people will have been Harry painful. Now for many it just pleasant enough Julian McFarland there from London monitoring it all force more to come on this no doubt Juliet thank you.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.