Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Washington, D.C. Cardinal Donald Wuerl on Friday but asked him to stay on as “Apostolic Administrator” of the archdiocese until a permanent successor is appointed.
Wuerl had been implicated in a recent Pennsylvania grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse, which claimed that he had approved transfers for abusing priests instead of removing them from ministry. It also alleged that he concealed information from law enforcement when priests were reported and oversaw insufficient church investigations into abuse.
In an October 12 letter, Pope Francis thanked the cardinal for his service and praised the way he has dealt with accusations of having mishandled the sex abuse crisis that is rocking the Catholic Church.