A former top Vatican official has accused Pope Francis of having known of allegations of sex abuse by a prominent U.S. cardinal for years and called on him to resign, in an unprecedented broadside against the pope by a church insider. "Pope Francis has repeatedly asked for total transparency in the Church," wrote Vigano, who has criticized the pope before. Pope Francis must be the first to set a good example for cardinals and bishops who covered up McCarrick's abuses and resign along with all of them. Vatican officials declined immediate comment Sunday on the statement, which was published by the National Catholic Register and several other conservative media outlets in the United States and Italy. Protesters calling attention to clerical sex abuse march to the Garden of Remembrance , timed to coincide with the Papal Mass at Phoenix Park on Sunday.

Source: CBC News August 26, 2018 15:00 UTC