WASHINGTON -- Washington's Catholic Archbishop is out. The Pope has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl.
He's another casualty of the clergy sex abuse scandal that's rocked the church. He's not accused of abusing children himself, but critics say he failed to do enough to bring abusers to justice.
He offered his resignation to the Pope several months ago, and on Friday, Pope Francis accepted it.
Wuerl is one of the highest profile prelates to lose his job over the sex abuse scandal this year. But he'll continue to administer the archdiocese until the Pope names a replacement. And that's left some sex abuse survivors furious.
"Boy, I should be so lucky to get a resignation like that," said David Lorenz, Maryland director of the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. "Because he maintains his power in the church. He maintains his rank with the church. He's getting all the benefits of retirement."
The Pope accepted Wuerl's retirement, but said there's a difference between "covering up crimes" and "committing some mistakes."
"What he did do is move a priest out of a parish, and move him to chaplain at a hospital," said Fr. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest, and senior analyst with Religion News Service. "That's unacceptable today. But was acceptable back then."
But Lorenz says that's exactly the kind of response from church leadership that allowed him to fall victim in Kentucky at age 16.
"I was abused by a priest I never should have met. He had 50 allegations against him and they made him guidance counselor at an all boys school."
As for a replacement for Wuerl, Reese mentioned Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego.
"He's got a political science degree from Stanford. He sounds like a perfect fit for Washington DC."
But Reese said speculation about who will replace an archbishop is almost always wrong.
In a letter to parishioners, Cardinal Wuerl said he was sorry and asked for healing for all those deeply wounded at the hands of the Church's ministers.
As for legal fallout for Wuerl. Father Reese said some states have mandatory reporting by ministers of suspected child sex abuse. But Pennsylvania, where Wuerl was Bishop of Pittsburgh, is not one of them.
