This is a BFD in my opinion:
This morning the Holy See press office announced that Pope Francis has removed Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano, who had been bishop of the diocese of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. According to the statement, the decision was made “for the greater good and unity” of the local church and episcopal communion. But the move follows a July investigation of the diocese, following complaints from local lay Catholics and clergy, including an archbishop, about Livieres’s style of governance, and his decision to bring on and then promote to vicar general an Argentine priest who has been repeatedly accused of sexual misconduct—dating back to the late 1980s. (The Holy See’s announcement says nothing about the accused priest.)
For more details on the case of the Argentine priest, see this piece from Commonweal’s Grant Gallicho. The bishop had already been barred from ordaining any new priests – but his removal is a watershed. It suggests there may be some welcome bite in the Pope’s dealing with sex abuse in the church. It also suggests to me that Bishop Nienstedt, who has admitted lax oversight of child abuse, and is busy purging the church of gay people (while being accused of sexual impropriety with several men), should receive from Vatican scrutiny. Removing the Paraguayan bishop was preceded by a papal investigation – something that has only happened in America when it comes to the nuns who favor universal healthcare. But it does suggest procedure that the Pope could use in removing bishops credibly accused of covering up child abuse as recently as 2013 in Nienstedt’s case. Here’s hoping for a breakthrough.
The Dish 