The US Department of Justice has addressed a request to the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops requesting that the Church not "destroy discard, dispose of, delete or alter" any documents relating to the sexual abuse investigation.
US Catholic bishops have gathered in the city of Baltimore for their annual general assembly.
The Department of Justice is expanding its investigation, along with 13 other states and the District of Columbia, into sexual abuse allegations against Catholic priests, as well as claims that the Catholic Church transferred abusive priests to new communities to dodge accusations and cover up the crimes.
Al Jazeera's Heidi Zhou-Castro reports from Washington.
