The Roman newspaper Il Messaggero, citing a leaked document from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), reported that Cardinal Oscar Cantoni of Como, who became a cardinal in August, convinced Pope Francis early in his papacy to overturn a CDF recommendation of dismissal of a notorious priest abuser from the priesthood.

In 2016, Don Mauro Inzoli was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for abusing five minors between the ages of 12 and 16. Earlier, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had recommended his dismissal from the clerical state, but Pope Francis had overturned the recommendation, instead consigning the abusive priest to a life or prayer. The Pope allowed Inzoli to say Mass privately.

According to Il Messaggero, Bishop (now Cardinal) Cantoni urged Pope Francis not to dismiss Inzoli from the priesthood; Pope Francis sided with Cantoni against CDF and imposed the lighter sentence in 2014. After the 2016 civil trial, a new canonical trial was held, and Inzoli was dismissed from the priesthood.