VATICAN CITY
International Business Times

By Umberto Bacchi
September 18, 2014

Pope Francis is reportedly set to demote a prominent US cardinal who recently spoke out against the pontiff’s views on divorce and abortion.

The Pope is planning to exile Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke – who currently holds the powerful seat of head of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican’s top court – from the Holy See. He would then position him in the prestigious but mainly ceremonial role of head of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Vatican analysts have suggested.

Burke, 66, would replace 80-year-old Paolo Sardi, L’Espresso magazine reported. If the decision is confirmed Burke will be removed from the Curia and left with little power just weeks before a key meeting of the Catholic Church.

A hard-line conservative, Burke is one of five cardinals who have come out against reforming attitudes to divorce and other…