VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis has removed two prominent cardinals from his inner circle months after they were tainted by paedophile scandals and ahead of a Church-wide meeting on the “protection of minors” next year. Despite being removed from the C9, Pell, 77, remains in charge of Vatican finances, the third most powerful position in the Roman Catholic Church. The Church has been hit by a series of child abuse scandals in recent years, with widespread allegations of cover-ups, including against the pope himself. Allegations in August from a conservative archbishop that the pope had ignored abuse suspicions concerning a prominent US cardinal have triggered an internal investigation into Vatican archives ordered by Pope Francis. A third cardinal, Democratic Republic of Congo’s Laurent Monsengwo, will also no longer attend C9 meetings, effectively reducing the body to a “C6”.

Source: Pakistan Today December 12, 2018 13:52 UTC