Pope Francis Meets With U.S. Cardinals To Discuss Widening Sex Abuse Scandal

VATICAN CITY (CBSNewYork) -- Two top U.S. cardinals had an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday morning.

They discussed the widening sex abuse scandal.

On Wednesday, the Pope called for top bishops from around the world to attend a summit at the Vatican in February. The call comes as a new scandal is developing in Germany, with more than 1,600 clerics and priests accused of sexually abusing more than 3,600 minors over about 70 years.

The Vatican said Pope Francis has "reflected deeply" on the sex abuse crisis rocking the church, which was the topic Thursday as he met with Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston, Texas. Cardinal O'Malley is the pontiff's top advisor on sex abuse. DiNardo is the head of U.S. bishops and asked for the meeting back in August.

MORE: Report: Catholic Church Officials Tried To Cover Up Actions Of 300 Pennsylvania "Predator Priests"

DiNardo has called for a vatican investigation into disgraced former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who resigned from his post this summer after accusations he'd abused a minor nearly 50 years ago were found credible. A wave of allegations that he'd abused seminarians also surfaced, some saying it had been an "open secret" for years.

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DiNardo is asking for outsiders to play a role in church investigations.

Now there's a new twist, CBS News' Seth Doane reported. There are reports out of Texas that Cardinal DiNardo, himself, is accused by two people of not doing enough to stop a predator priest there, this as he calls on the Vatican to do more.