Pope Francis turns out troubled Vatican seminary

Altar boys at St Peter's Basilica on 13 March 2015. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Pope Francis has decided that the boys' college at the centre of a major abuse-and-coverup scandal and criminal trial will no longer have a home inside Vatican City.

-- Rome -- The Holy See Press Office announced on Tuesday that the St Pius X Preseminary will move to a location outside of the Vatican City State.

“For some time now, the idea of transferring the St Pius X Preseminary to a location outside the Vatican Walls has been under consideration,” Tuesday’s statement said. The decision to relocate was taken, in part, “to facilitate the proximity of young students to the places where they carry out their studies and practice their recreational activities.”