Japanese Catholic Church opens investigation into child sex abuse allegations

The Catholic Church in Japan said on Tuesday it will launch an internal probe into claims of sexual abuse against children by its clergy, after a wave of paedophilia revelations worldwide.The standing committee of the bishops’ conference last week decided to investigate all 16 dioceses in Japan, a spokesman for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan said.Japan is home to a small community of Roman Catholics, believed to number around 450,000.What the George Pell conviction reveals about Pope…