US cleric resigns amid scandal
The pope named Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, of the US bishops conservative wing, to succeed him.
The brief Vatican announcement said the resignation of the 76-year-old Rigali was because of his age. He submitted it on his 75th birthday in April 2010, as required by church law, but the pope did not immediately act on it.
Rigali has been under pressure for his handling of the scandal. A 2005 grand jury report charged that he and his predecessor hid credible sex-abuse complaints made against dozens of Philadelphia priests.
After eight years under Rigali’s leadership, the archdiocese is defending unprecedented criminal charges filed against a former secretary of clergy for allegedly transferring paedophile priests without warning new parishes.
Earlier this year, the head of the archdiocese’s lay review panel on abuse, Ana Maria Catanzaro, said Rigali and his bishops “failed miserably at being open and transparent” when dealing with accused priests.
The scandal has surfaced twice during his tenure as head of the archdiocese of nearly 1.5 million people.
The Philadelphia grand jury that recommended the criminal charges this year faulted Rigali for keeping many area priests in active ministry despite allegations of sexual abuse. And a 2005 grand jury report charged that Rigali and his predecessor hid sex-abuse complaints made against dozens of Philadelphia priests.
