Details from Crux:
Despite speculation that Cardinal George Pell might step down shortly after his 75th birthday on June 8, Pell’s office said Thursday that Pope Francis has confirmed the Australian prelate as the Vatican’s top financial official until at least 2019. The news came in a statement from Pell’s office in Rome, after a Thursday visit by Pope Francis to the offices of the Secretariat for the Economy, the body created by the pope in 2014 to be the Vatican’s new lead agency for financial administration. Saying the pontiff had spent an hour in “a friendly and lively discussion” with the staff of the secretariat, the statement indicated that Pell’s status also had been addressed during the session. “Cardinal Pell will also be continuing with his current role for the full five-year term,” it said. Pell was appointed to his present role by Francis in February 2014, thus a five-year term would last until February 2019. The statement from Pell’s office suggested Pope Francis had offered a broad thumbs-up for their reform efforts. …Although 75 is the age at which Catholic bishops are required to submit their resignations, heads of Vatican departments routinely serve well beyond that date.
And today we celebrate...