Hard-line cardinal removed as leader of sex abuse office

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.

The developments underscored how the Catholic Church’s sex abuse crisis has caught up with Francis, threatening to tarnish his legacy over a series of questionable appointments, decisions and oversights in his four-year papacy.

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.

Francis named Mueller’s deputy, Monsignor Luis Ladaria Ferrer, a Spanish Jesuit, to run the powerful office instead.

During Mueller’s fiveyear 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.

Collins resigned from the papal commission in March, citing the “unacceptable” level of resistance from Mueller’s office to heeding the commission’s proposals.

In May, Francis said her criticism of the slow pace in processing abuse cases was justified and announced he was adding more staff. Earlier this year, he also named Cardinal Sean O’Malley as a member of the congregation in hopes of ensuring better cooperation.

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.