Pope Francis has removed two cardinals hit by sexual abuse scandals from his circle of close advisers, including his economy minister George Pell.
Pell has taken an indefinite leave of absence from his high-power job as head of the Secretariat for the Economy to defend himself from prosecution for historical child sexual offences in Australia.
Vatican spokesperson, Greg Burke, responded to questions over whether Pell was still economy minister, with Burke suggesting Pell was and there had been no announcement to the contrary.