Australian Cardinal George Pell, charged with abuse allegations, is no longer on the Pope's advisory board. The high-ranking Kirchenmann count no longer to the circle of the previously nine advisory Cardinals of Francis, said Pope spokesman Greg Burke in Rome.
At the end of October, the Pope thanked Pell in writing and two other Cardinals, who will no longer be members of the Council, for their work. As a reason, he led inter alia, "advanced age". Among the departing cardinals is the Chilean Francisco Javier Errázuriz, who was at the center of an abuse scandal in his homeland.
Pell is accused in Australia of the abuse of minors; he denies the allegations. The clergyman was exempted from his post as CFO of the Vatican two years ago in July - so far no successor has been appointed to this important post. Pell's mandate ends automatically in February 2019 (more about the case can be found here).
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The 77-year-old was previously considered the number three in the Vatican. The Cardinal Council is also chaired by the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Reinhard Marx. The vacant posts would not be filled, said Pope spokesman Burke.
The Pell case and the child molestation debate in the Catholic Church have long troubled the Pope. In February, a summit on the subject will take place in the Vatican. The expectations are high that it is not only in the commitment to fight against sexual abuse. Rather, victims demand concrete measures, an end to the cover-up and a real reappraisal.