Hard-line cardinal ousted as head of church doctrine
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis sacked the head of the Vatican office that handles sex abuse cases Saturday, just days after he released another top Vatican cardinal to return home to stand trial for alleged sexual assault.
Perhaps sensing a need to change course, Francis declined to renew the mandate of German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office that processes and evaluates all cases of priests accused of raping or molesting minors.
During Mueller’s five-year term, the congregation amassed a 2,000-case backlog and came under criticism from Irish abuse survivor Marie Collins, who had been tapped by Francis in 2014 to advise the church on caring for abuse victims and protecting children from pedophile priests.
On Thursday, Francis granted Cardinal George Pell a leave of absence to return to his native Australia to face trial on charges of sexual assault stemming from years ago.