Pope retains German archbishop criticized over abuse scandal

By GEIR MOULSON
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Pope Francis has decided to leave in office a prominent German archbishop who has faced criticism for his handling of the church’s sexual abuse scandal, but the cleric has decided to take a “spiritual timeout.” The Vatican said the pope “is counting on” Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki but granted his request for a break that will run from mid-October to March. Woelki is the archbishop of Cologne. He has become a deeply divisive figure in the German church. Woelki infuriated many local Catholics by citing legal concerns to keep under wraps a report on how local church officials reacted when priests were accused of sexual abuse. He subsequently commissioned another report made public this year.