Pope Francis has created a new commission (Coleggio) of seven bishops and cardinals to speed up the appeal process for priests found guilty by the Church of serious crimes, including sexual abuse on minors, the Vatican said.

The commission, under the auspices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will examine the case of any bishop accused of grave crimes as well as other specific cases upon Papal request.

The Pope’s decision is intended to expedite the handling of these cases, according to the Holy See Press Office. "The number of appeals has lead to a backlog of work," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told journalists.

The members of the new Coleggio will be appointed by Francis himself.