Pope Francis has called a special summit to discuss how to prevent sexual abuse by priests.

Leading bishops from around the world - the presidents of the Episcopal Conferences of the Catholic Church - will go to the Vatican for the conference next year.

The summit will be held from 21 to 24 February 2019.

Tomorrow, the pontiff is meeting with American church leaders to talk about fresh accusations over cover-ups.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the head of the advisory body to the Pope on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from sexual abuse, is among those set to attend the meanwhile.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis is said have the discussed the issue of clerical sex abuse "extensively" with the Council of Cardinals this week.

Last month, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano called on the Pontiff to quit over his response to the global clerical abuse scandal.

In a bombshell letter, Archbishop Vigano claimed he warned Pope Francis about allegations against American Cardinal Theodore McCarrick shortly after he became Pope in 2013.

Pope Francis declined to comment on the allegations after the letter was published.

88-year-old Cardinal McCarrick resigned in July over claims of sexual abuse against a 16-year-old boy.

The issue of sex abuse has again become a major controversy for the Catholic Church, in the wake of a major investigation in Pennsylvania that alleged 301 Catholic priests in the US state sexually abused children while serving in active ministry.

During his Irish visit at the end of August, Pope Francis said that the failure of Church authorities to adequately address clerical child sex abuse within the Church remains a “source of pain and shame” for Catholic leadership.