Pope Francis is punishing one of his most vocal conservative critics in the Catholic hierarchy, U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke, by taking away his stipend and rent-free apartment in Rome. …

Burke, speaking on Wednesday from Wisconsin, said he hadn’t heard anything about the matter from Francis or the Vatican.

“People can draw their own conclusions about why the Holy Father told this to Austen Ivereigh and not the person concerned,” Burke said.

The cardinal said he wouldn’t leave Rome even if he had to find other lodgings. “It’s my duty as a cardinal to remain in Rome,” he said.

[This is turning into an ugly scene at the Holy See. One has to wonder why. Dissent among bishops and cardinals is not anything new, and usually the pontiff acts to bridge these gaps rather than punish dissenters. — Ed]