Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Thomas Collins as archbishop of Toronto and appointed Bishop Francis Leo to succeed him as the 14th archbishop of Canada’s largest diocese.

In addition to the critique of Cardinal McElroy’s focus on welcome and inclusion, critics are also reacting to the process through which that could happen: the ongoing synod of bishops.

After President Biden said that U.S. bishops are not demanding that federal dollars not fund abortions, the U.S.C.C.B. stated that they are “united” in commitment to life.

The decision comes at a time when Cardinal Ouellet is pursuing a defamation case against a Canadian woman church worker, who had accused him of unwanted sexual touching.

The pope and Cardinal McElroy both made statements this week on L.G.B.T. issues, which have until recently not been discussed by church officials.

Dolores R. Leckey, who was founding director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for the Laity in 1977 and at the time one of the highest ranking women in the U.S. Catholic Church, died peacefully of natural causes Jan. 17 in her home in Arlington.