Cardinal To Be Demoted For Criticizing Pope Francis

A leading American cardinal has told BuzzFeed that he is to be demoted
from his position running the Catholic Church justice system.

Cardinal Raymond Burke is a staunch critic of Pope Francis' moves to
soften the Church's stance on homosexuality.

He said that he was to be moved to the far less senior post of patron
of the sovereign military order of Malta.

Pope Francis is leading a council in the Vatican on possible reforms
to Church teaching on social issues.

A preliminary report on the initial discussions at the extraordinary
Synod on the family was released on Monday.

The report, which was written by more than 200 bishops, said
homosexuals had "gifts and qualities to offer", and used more
welcoming language when discussing homosexuality and its place in the
Church.

Although it does not challenge the Church's stance on gay marriage,
the document was praised by liberal clergymen and activists.

However, it was also criticised by more traditional and conservative
Church figures who rejected it.

Cardinal Burke was among the most publicly critical of the bishops
involved in the discussions.

For weeks, there had been rumours that the Pope would demote him, says
the BBC's James Reynolds in Rome.

Last year, a survey launched by Pope Francis suggested that the
majority of Catholics rejected Church teaching on issues such as sex
and contraception.