VATICAN CITY
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Pope Francis on Monday removed two American-born cardinals — including former La Crosse Bishop Raymond Burke — from the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops, meaning the ultraconservative prelate will lose his influential role in the appointment of bishops in the United States.
Burke and retired Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali were among more than a dozen members of the Vatican old guard who were removed from the 18-member congregation on Monday.
Among those appointed was Washington, D.C., Cardinal Donald Wuerl. While conservative, Wuerl is seen as a bridge-builder and less dogmatic than Burke, who has promoted the denial of communion to pro-abortion rights Catholic politicians and in recent interviews appeared to question the new pope’s plans to reshape the Vatican bureaucracy known as the curia.
Monday’s appointments are seen as the key to securing Francis’ legacy.
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