Image copyright AFP Image caption Cardinal Pell faces trial in Australia on sex abuse charges

Two cardinals facing allegations linked to sexual abuse have been removed from Pope Francis's inner circle, the Vatican said.

Australia's George Pell and Chile's Francisco Javier Errazuriz will no longer sit on the Council of Cardinals, set up by the pope as an international advice body.

The pair were absent from the last meeting of the group in September.

A spokesperson said the Pope wrote to them both in October to thank them.

Cardinal Pell, who remains the Vatican treasurer, faces trial on sexual abuse charges in Australia - accusations the cardinal strenuously denies.

His Chilean colleague, Francisco Javier Errazuriz, faces accusations that he covered up alleged child abuse while serving as Archbishop of Santiago, claims he also denies.

Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya has also left the group, spokesman Greg Burke said. The 79-year-old recently retired from his role as archbishop of Kinshasa, and has not been implicated in any scandals.

The group, known as C9, has no plan to immediately fill its three empty seats, Mr Burke reportedly said.</s>Pope Francis has removed two prominent clerics from the Council of Cardinal advisers he established five years ago. The Australian and Chilean cardinals, who were among nine princes of the Catholic Church-appointed special counselors to the pope, were implicated in the sexual abuse scandals in the Church.

Just two months before a scheduled meeting to discuss how to move forward in the clerical sexual abuse scandals, the removal of the two prominent cardinals is seen as a further embarrassment to the Catholic Church.

The Vatican on Wednesday said Pope Francis had written in October to Australian Cardinal George Pell and Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz of Chile thanking them for their work on the council.

Pell, a 77-year-old who used to be the Vatican's finance minister, left his job with an indefinite leave of absence to stand trial in his country on sexual abuse charges. The 85-year-old Errazuriz, who used to be archbishop of Santiago, has been accused of covering up abuse. Both men deny the allegations.

The Vatican provided no explanation for the removal of the cardinals and no mention was made of the sexual abuse allegations.

The recently retired 79-year-old archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, also departed from the Council, although he had not been implicated in any scandal.

"After a five-year term, these three have now passed out. For the moment, the pope has not named new cardinals in their place," said Vatican spokesman Greg Burke.

Pope Francis established the Council of Cardinals in 2013 to help with reforms he wanted implemented in the various Vatican departments. That work of the council is close to completion. Additionally, Church authorities are working on a new document that outlines the work and mission of the various congregations within the government of the Church. The document is expected to be ready soon.</s>Vatican City: Pope Francis has removed two cardinals from his informal cabinet amid the Catholic Church's sex abuse and cover-up scandal, shedding embarrassing advisers ahead of a high-stakes Vatican summit on abuse early next year.

The Vatican said on Wednesday that Francis in October had written to Cardinal George Pell and Chilean Cardinal Javier Errazuriz thanking them for their five years of service on the so-called Group of Nine, or C-9.

Francis also bid farewell to Congolese Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, who hasn't been implicated in the scandal but at age 79 recently retired as archbishop of Kinshasa.

Pell, 77, took leave from his job as the Vatican's economy minister to stand trial in Australia on historic charges of sex abuse, which he denies.</s>VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has removed two cardinals from his informal Cabinet after they were implicated in the Catholic Church’s sex abuse and cover-up scandal, shedding embarrassing advisers ahead of a high-stakes Vatican summit on abuse early next year.

The Vatican said Wednesday that Francis in October had written to Chilean Cardinal Javier Errazuriz and Australian Cardinal George Pell thanking them for their five years of service on the so-called Group of Nine, or C-9.

Francis also bid farewell to Congolese Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, who hasn’t been implicated in the scandal but at age 79 recently retired as archbishop of Kinshasa.

Errazuriz, 85, has been accused by Chilean abuse survivors of having covered up for predator priests while he was archbishop of Santiago, a charge he has denied. Pell, 77, took leave from his job as the Vatican’s economy minister to stand trial in his native Australia on historic charges of sex abuse, which he denies.

Their continued presence on the C-9 had been a source of scandal for Francis, given the explosion of the abuse and cover-up crisis this year. Francis himself was implicated in the scandal after he strongly defended a Chilean bishop accused of covering for the country’s most notorious predator priest – a position he took apparently on Errazuriz’s advice.</s>Australian Cardinal George Pell has been removed from the Vatican’s informal cabinet by Pope Francis.

The Vatican said Wednesday that Francis in October had written to Chilean Cardinal Javier Errazuriz, Congolese Cardinal Laurent Mongengwo and Australian Cardinal George Pell thanking them for their five years of service on the so-called Group of Nine, or C-9.

Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, who at age 79 recently retired as archbishop of Kinshasa.

Cardinal Pell is facing prosecution for historical sexual offences in the County Court of Victoria. He denies the charges.

Francis appointed the C-9 in 2013 to help him reform the Vatican and reorganise its bureaucracy. That work is wrapping up, with the finalising of a new document outlining the work and mission of the various congregations that make up the universal government of the 1.2 billion-strong church.

A statement from the Vatican press office noted that the cabinet members asked Francis in September to reflect on the future composition, structure and work of the C-9, taking into consideration especially the advanced ages of some of its members.

Though he has been away from Rome since announcing his leave of absence in June 2017, Pell technically remains prefect of the Vatican’s economy secretariat.

The Pope was shedding advisers ahead of a high-stakes Vatican summit on abuse early next year.

Errazuriz, 85, has been accused by Chilean abuse survivors of having covered up for predator priests while he was archbishop of Santiago, a charge he has denied.

Pell, 77, took leave from his job as the Vatican’s economy minister to stand trial in Australia on historic charges of sex abuse, which he denies.

Francis himself was criticised after he strongly defended a Chilean bishop accused of covering for the country’s most notorious predator priest - a position he took apparently on the advice of Errazuriz.

After Francis realised his errors and apologised, he summoned the presidents of all the world’s bishops conferences to Rome for a three-day meeting in February to discuss protecting young people from paedophiles.

That summit has taken on enormous weight given the eruption of the scandal in the US. The Vatican said the three cardinals wouldn’t be replaced on the council.</s>Australian Cardinal George Pell has been removed from Pope Francis’ inner circle of advisers.

The Vatican has confirmed Cardinal Pell, 77, is one of three cardinals who was not reappointed to the Council of Cardinals, known as the C9, which provides high-level international advice to the Pope.

A former Archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney, Cardinal Pell retains his role as Treasurer to the Vatican, its third-highest position, although he has been on a leave of absence for 18 months.

Chilean Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz and Congolese Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya were also not reappointed.

Cardinal Errazuriz, 85, has been accused of covering up sexual abuse in his homeland of Chile while he was the Archbishop of Santiago.

Cardinal Monsengwo, 79, has recently retired from his role as Archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and was not subject to any allegations or controversies.

The Vatican said the Pope had decided in late October not to reappoint the three cardinals at the end of their five-year tenures.

The Pope’s decision came after a meeting of the C9 in September, which none of the three men attended.

However, the Vatican only announced the Pontiff’s decision on Wednesday.

Cardinal Pell has been in Australia since July last year. He has health problems which prevent him undertaking long-haul flying and he has not been attending C9 meetings.

The Pope is not considering replacing the men at this time, reducing the C9 to C6, according to a bulletin released on Wednesday during another meeting of the Council of Cardinals at Vatican City in Rome.

“Following the request expressed from the Cardinals, at the end of the 26th meeting of the Council of Cardinals, following a reflection on the work, the structure and the composition of the same council, keeping also in consideration the advanced age of some members, the Pope, at the end of October, has written to his Eminence Cardinal George Pell, to his Eminence the Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz and to his Eminence the Cardinal Laurent Monsignor Pasinya thanking them for their work in the past five years,’’ the Vatican said.

“Considering the timing of the work of the council it is not planned to nominate new members at the moment.’’

Also yesterday, the Director of the Vatican Press Office, Greg Burke, made the following statement, when asked for a comment on Cardinal Pell and the ongoing prosecution for historical child sexual offences in the County Court of Victoria. Cardinal Pell denies the charges.

“The Holy See has the utmost respect for Australian judicial authorities.”</s>Pope Francis has demoted two cardinals over sexual abuse allegations, the BBC reports.

The Vatican was said to have identified the Cardinals as: Australia’s George Pell and Chile’s Francisco Javier Errazuriz, were removed from the Pope’s inner circle and will no longer sit on the Council of Cardinals, set up by the pope as an international advisory body.

Both demoted cardinals were absent from the last meeting of the group in September.

A spokesperson said the Pope wrote to them both in October to thank them.

Cardinal George Pell, who remains the Vatican treasurer, faces trial on sexual abuse charges in Australia. He strenuously denies the accusations.

Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz, from Chile, has also been accused of covering up alleged child abuse while serving as Archbishop of Santiago.

He, however, denied the accusations.</s>ROME—Pope Francis has removed the three oldest members of his advisory Council of Cardinals, two of them prelates tainted by scandals related to the Catholic Church’s crisis over clerical sex abuse.

The Vatican announced Wednesday that the pope had written in October to Australian Cardinal George Pell, 77; Chilean Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, 85; and Congolese Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, 79, “thanking them for their work over the last five years” and relieving them from their roles on the council.</s>VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has removed two cardinals who have been hit by scandals from his group of close advisers, the Vatican said on Wednesday.

The two are Cardinal George Pell of Australia and Francisco Javier Errázuriz of Chile. Both have been the subject of allegations related to sexual abuse — accusations they have denied.

A third cardinal who had been a member of the so-called C-9, Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was also leaving the group, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke told a briefing on the C-9’s latest meeting, which ended on Wednesday.

He said that the pope had written to the trio in October, thanking them for their work. None of the three attended the latest meeting.

Pell has taken an indefinite leave of absence from his job as the Vatican’s economy minister to defend himself from prosecution for historical child sexual offences in Australia.

Victims of sexual abuse in Chile have accused Errázuriz of covering up abuse by others.</s>Pope Francis has removed from his group of close advisers two cardinals hit by sexual abuse scandals, including his economy minister, Australian George Pell, the Vatican said on Wednesday.

Pell has taken an indefinite leave of absence from his job as head of the Secretariat for the Economy, one of the most powerful posts in the Vatican, to defend himself from prosecution for historical child sexual offences in Australia.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said: “The Holy See has the utmost respect for Australian judiciary. We are aware that a suppression order is in place (on media reporting on judicial procedures) and we intend to respect it.”

Asked if Pell, 77, was still economy minister, Burke suggested he was, saying there had been no announcement to the contrary.

The other member removed from the so called C-9 – a group of nine cardinals that meets periodically with the pope in Rome – is Francisco Javier Errázuriz of Chile.

Errázuriz, 85, the former archbishop of Santiago, has been accused by abuse survivors in Chile of discrediting victims and not investigating their cases, which he denies.

Chile’s sexual abuse scandal prompted all of the country’s 34 bishops to offer their resignation to the pope who has so far accepted seven.

A third C-9 cardinal, Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, 79, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was also leaving the group, Burke told a briefing on the C-9’s latest meeting, which ended on Wednesday. None of the three attended.

Burke said the six remaining members – from Italy, Honduras, the United States, and India, would continue to advise the pope. There were no immediate plans to appoint new members, he said.

The pope told Reuters last June in an interview that he planned to use the five-year anniversary of the C-9 to “to renew it a bit”.
Pope Francis removes Australian prelate George Pell and Chilean prelate Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa from the Council of Cardinal Advisers. Both are accused of covering up child sexual abuse scandals. Former Archbishop of Kinshasa Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya also leaves the Council for unrelated reasons.