VATICAN CITY
Reuters
By Philip Pullella
VATICAN CITY | Tue Oct 15, 2013
(Reuters) – The cardinal widely blamed for failing to prevent a series of ethical and financial scandals during the reign of former Pope Benedict stepped down on Tuesday, ending an era fraught with embarrassments.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, 78, left his post as secretary of state, the number two in the Vatican hierarchy, and handed over the role of “deputy pope” to Archbishop Pietro Parolin, a 58-year-old career diplomat.
Bertone’s departure is the most visible break with the hierarchy left by Benedict and comes as Pope Francis prepares to overhaul the notoriously secretive Vatican administration and its scandal-hit bank.
Parolin, a former Vatican nuncio (ambassador) to Venezuela, is known for a frugal lifestyle in tune with the pope’s own preferences.
He was not present at Tuesday’s handover ceremony, after undergoing surgery while visiting his family in northern Italy.
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