global confidence in the church in recent years. A Pew Research Center poll published Wednesday indicates that U.S. Catholics see it as the biggest issue the Vatican faces. Asked what they think is the most important problem, 34 % of the U.S. Catholics questioned mention sex abuse, pedophilia or some other reference to the scandal. No other problem garnered more than 10 % of the responses. A report for Italian news magazine Panorama on Thursday claims that the church hierarchy was alerted to the problem decades ago, in 1965 but buried the warnings. ` Absolutely key ' Since Monday, the gathered cardinals have been holding meetings, known as general congregations, to discuss the most serious questions facing the church. The last of the cardinals summoned to choose the next pope, Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man of Vietnam, arrived at the Vatican on Thursday. No date has been set for the conclave, or secret election, for the new pope, said the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman. But Cardinal Roger Mahony, the retired archbishop of Los Angeles, suggested that the announcement might not be far away in a tweet posted Thursday. Days of General Congregations reaching a conclusion. Setting of date for Conclave nearing. Mood of excitement prevails among Cardinals, he said. The 115 cardinal-electors -- those under the age of 80 who are eligible to vote for the new pontiff -- are