Pope Francis on Saturday replaced Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, the embattled archbishop of Santiago, Chile, after he became embroiled in the country’s spiraling sex abuse and cover-up scandal.

Francis accepted Cardinal Ezzati’s resignation and named a temporary replacement to govern Chile’s most important archdiocese: the Spanish-born Capuchin friar and current bishop of Copiapo, Chile, Monsignor Celestino Aos Braco.

The 77-year-old Cardinal Ezzati had submitted his resignation to Francis two years ago when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75. But Francis kept him on, and Cardinal Ezzati became the flash point of survivors’ ire for mishandling several cases of abuse.

Francis himself became embroiled in the scandal after initially discrediting victims during his 2018 trip to Chile, sparking a crisis in confidence in the Chilean hierarchy and his own leadership.