Pope retains German archbishop criticized over abuse scandal

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.”

BERLIN -- Pope Francis has decided to leave in office a prominent German archbishop who faced criticism for his handling of the church's sexual abuse scandal, but the pontiff also gave the cleric a “spiritual timeout” of several months after he made “major errors" of communication, the Vatican said Friday.

The pope “is counting on” the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the Vatican said in a statement. “But at the same time it is clear that the archbishop and the archdiocese need a time for a pause, renewal and reconciliation.”

That, it said, prompted Francis to grant Woelki's request for a break that will run from mid-October to the beginning of March.

Woelki has become a deeply divisive figure in the German church.