He Pope Francisco announced this Monday morning that he had accepted the resignation of American Cardinal Sean O’Malleywho was in charge of the fight against paedophilia in the Catholic ChurchThe cleric had reached the age limit of 80 years.
Through a statement, the Vatican announced: “The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral government of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston (northeastern United States), presented by His Eminence Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley.” Francis appointed the Archbishop Richard G. Henning, 59, as replacement.
Pope Francis’ announcement on the fight against paedophilia
The age limit for bishops and members of the Roman Curia is officially set at 75 yearsbut the Pope relaxed this rule in 2018. However, Cardinals who reach 80 years of age they cease to be electors in the conclave.
This is why Sean O’Malley extended his resignation to the Supreme Pontiff, having exceeded the age limit on June 29His replacement will be the archbishop Richard G. Henning.
O’Malley stood out in the management by the Catholic Church of multiple sexual abuse scandals committed by religious figures against minors. The American also made a notable defence of migrants, in line with Pope Francis.
The Cardinal rose to fame after replacing Boston Bernard Lawwho had resigned due to the huge scandal caused by the disastrous management of sexual abuse against minors in that American city and its region. This case, known as “Spotlight“, gave rise to the film of the same name by 2015.
In this context, O’Malley negotiated a severance agreement of US$90 million for more than 500 victimsTo do so, he sold the seat of the archbishopric and abolished 65 of the 357 parishes in his diocese.
His career saw him named a cardinal by the Pope Benedict XVI during the consistory of March 24, 2006. A few years later, in 2014, he was appointed as a member of the New Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minorsthe Vatican organ created for combat paedophilia.
This commission was, however, heavily criticised. Its most influential member, Hans Zollner, who resigned in March 2023, accused it of suffering from structural and transparency problems. For his part, Cardinal O’Malley defended himself by stating that, at the time of its creation, there was “unrealistic expectations about what this group of volunteers would be able to achieve“.
Pope Francis spoke about the situation in Venezuela
On Sunday, the Pope Francisco He appeared before his faithful in St. Peter’s Square in Rome (Italy) and took the opportunity to express his concern for the political crisis facing Venezuelaafter what happened following the elections held on Sunday, July 28.
Francisco Papa Maduro.jpg
In a context divided between those who recognized the victory of Nicolás Maduro and those who denounced electoral fraud, the Argentine called for “seek the truth” in the South American country and called on the parties to avoid violence. This request came during his usual message in the homily last Sunday morning.
During his speech, the Supreme Pontiff called for dialogue between both Venezuelan political parties to reach a solution. by the vote count and a clarification of what happened during the presidential elections.
“I sincerely appeal to all parties to seek the truth, to exercise moderation, to avoid any kind of violence, to resolve conflicts through dialogue, to take into account the true good of the population and not partisan interests.“, the Pope said.
Bergoglio also entrusted “the intercession of Our Lady of Coromoto, so loved and venerated by Venezuelans, and the intercession of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández, whose figure unites us all.” The protests in the Latin American country – which broke out last Monday against the official result – left at least 14 dead, according to several human rights organizations.
Source: Ambito
