VATICAN CITY
Crux
By John L. Allen Jr.
Associate editor November 6, 2015
Pope Francis continued his moderate makeover of the senior leadership of the Catholic Church on Friday, announcing key appointments for two major European archdioceses. In both cases, the pontiff tapped pastorally-minded figures not seen as either political or theological conservatives.
In Barcelona, Spain, Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Lluís Martínez Sistach, 78, and replaced him with 69-year-old Archbishop Juan José Omella Omella. In Brussels, Belgium, the pope accepted the resignation of Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard, 75, and put in his place Archbishop Jozef De Kesel, 68.
The move in Brussels will strike Church-watchers as especially significant, given that Léonard had carried the reputation of being one of the most staunchly conservative prelates to head a major European archdiocese. He was appointed in 2010 under Pope Benedict XVI, replacing Cardinal Godfried Danneels, who was seen as a leading progressive.
(Danneels’ term ended in controversy amid allegations that he tried to cover up sexual abuse allegations against a fellow Belgian prelate. He remains in good standing with Pope Francis, who named Danneels as a participant in the recent Synod of Bishops on the family.)
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