American Cardinal Sean O'Malley, known for his support of victims of sexual abuse and his push for reform within the Catholic Church, is stepping down as archbishop of Boston, the Vatican announced Monday.
Vatican: Boston Archbishop, ally of sex abuse victims, resigns
The 80-year-old bishop will be replaced by Richard Henning, the 59-year-old bishop of Providence, who will become head of the fourth-largest diocese in the United States, the Vatican said in a statement.
No reason was given, other than that Pope Francis had accepted O'Malley's resignation.
In the Catholic Church, bishops leading a diocese have a traditional retirement age of 75, but the Pope has the right to ask them to stay on longer.
