Pope's Top Critic Is About to Have to Find New Digs

Cardinal Raymond Burke, an American who's led conservative resistance to Pope Francis' progressive moves since his election a decade ago, has apparently poked the pontiff one too many times. As the New York Times reports, Francis has "frequently demoted and stripped the American cleric of influence"—but now he's apparently evicting Burke from his Vatican-subsidized apartment and removing his salary as a church retiree. Francis framed the move as being necessary because Burke was using those resources to stir division in the church. Burke's secretary tells the AP that he'd received no notice of the pope's plans.

It's not Francis' only beef with clerics from across the pond: Earlier this month, Francis fired Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland after years of the latter vocally undermining his policies. Strickland reacted to the Burke news on X, writing, "If this is accurate it is an atrocity that must be opposed. If it is false information it needs to be corrected immediately." The Times simply notes that "the Vatican did not correct it." The AP reports that Burke already spends much of his time in the US in his home state of Wisconsin. Much more on the history between Francis and Burke here and here. (More Cardinal Raymond Burke stories.)