(Vatican) Cardinal Marc Ouellet presented his resignation as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, which was accepted by Pope Francis.
Cardinal Ouellet was one of the few Vatican prefects that Francis retained for years of Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate, in a clear sign of trust.
At the age of 78, Marc Ouellet is three years past the normal retirement age for bishops and to Vatican watchers his departure had been rumored for months. Pope Francis approved this departure “due to reaching the age limit”, the Holy See said in a statement on Monday.
Marc Ouellet was recently implicated in allegations of misconduct stemming from his tenure as Archbishop of Quebec, which he strongly denied. After the Vatican dropped the case against him last year without sufficient grounds, the cardinal sued his accuser in civil court for defamation,
A week ago, Cardinal Ouellet denied allegations of sexual misconduct that were made against him by a second woman who accused him of committing reprehensible acts against her.
His replacement has already been appointed by the Vatican. This is Robert Francis Prevost, 67 years old. The American bishop served as head of the Augustinians from 2001 to 2013, based in Rome. He also served as head of the order’s Chicago province and in 2014 was appointed apostolic administrator and then bishop of Chiclayo, in northern Peru in an area where the Augustinians of Chicago have long had a presence.
Like Cardinal Ouellet, he will also lead the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Marc Ouellet is from the village of La Motte, near Amos, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. He holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Laval University and a degree in theology from the University of Montreal. He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Amos in 1968.
He was appointed Archbishop of Quebec in November 2002.
With The Canadian Press