Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of an influential Peruvian bishop, who has come under criticism for not doing enough to stop abuses committed by a conservative Catholic movement that was recently disbanded by the Vatican.

The once-powerful archbishop of Peruvian capital Lima and the first-ever cardinal of Opus Dei has acknowledged that the Vatican had imposed sanctions on him in 2019 following an allegation of sexual abuse.

Pope Francis has taken the remarkable step of dissolving a Peruvian-based Catholic movement, the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae.

Pope Francis has taken the unusual decision to expel 10 people from a troubled Catholic movement in Peru after a Vatican investigation uncovered “sadistic” abuses of power, authority and spirituality.