VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis on Saturday pushed out the Vatican’s conservative doctrine chief, tapping a deputy instead to lead the powerful congregation that handles sex-abuse cases and guarantees Catholic orthodoxy around the world. Pope Francis on Saturday 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. No new position was announced for Müller, 69, who was appointed by former Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 and still has five more years before what's considered the normal retirement age for a bishop.
Pope Francis ousts conservative cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller.