Two Cardinals demoted by Pope amid sex abuse scandals
George Pell and Francisco Ossa removed from Pope Francis’s inner circle
Two senior Cardinals embroiled in sex abuse scandals have been demoted from their positions on the Catholic Church’s Council of Cardinals, Pope Francis’s inner circle of advisors.
Pope Francis has removed Australia’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, 77, who is currently facing prosecution on historic sexual abuse charges in Australia.
Chile’s Francisco Errázuriz Ossa, 85, who “has been accused of concealing abuse while archbishop of Santiago”, has also been removed from the council, The Guardian reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Both Cardinals deny the claims.
A third Cardinal removed from the group, the newly retired archbishop, Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, has “not been implicated in any scandals”, the BBC says.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Vatican said that Pope Francis had written to all three of the Cardinals removed from the council, “thanking them for the work they have done over these past five years”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Sundance Film Festival looks for a new home as movie buffs dial in
In the Spotlight The festival will be moving to Salt Lake City, Boulder, Colorado, or Cincinnati
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Trillionaire tome
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'On arrival, workers faced a system of racial segregation'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published