VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has asked the Vatican to study whether the Catholic Church should classify "spiritual abuse" as a new crime in order to address cases where priests use purported mystical experiences as a pretext for harming others.

A statement from the Vatican's doctrinal office announcing the move did not name any specific cases of such abuse, but the Vatican has had to deal with several in recent years.

Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the Roman Catholic Church's lead doctrinal official, met with Pope Francis to discuss the proposal for a new crime of spiritual abuse on Nov 22, according to the statement.

The Pope directed Cardinal Fernandez to work with another Vatican office to consider the issue, it said.

The release quoted from new Vatican norms, approved in May, on evaluating alleged supernatural events, saying it was "morally grave" to use purported spiritual experiences to exert control over others.

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