Pope accepts 2 US bishops resignation over sex abuse cover-up
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of two US bishops who face allegations of failing to protect children from a pedophile priest.
In a statement on Monday, the Vatican confirmed that the Pope had accepted their resignations.
The statement noted that the Archbishop of St Paul, John Nienstadt, and Lee Anthony Piche, a deputy bishop in Minneapolis, were accused of failing to respond appropriately to charges of sex abuse against the priest.
Sources say the bishops offered the Pope their resignations under a code of canon law which allows them to stand down due to a “grave” reason or poor health leaving them unfit for office.
That prosecutors in Minnesota reportedly had earlier charged the Archdiocese over an alleged sex abuse cover-up. The pair are accused of “turning a blind eye” despite repeated allegations against a priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys.
Human rights and civil rights groups have been critical of the Vatican for allowing bishops accused of cover-ups to quit. Activists and campaigners say that resignation does not carry the same weight as a forced removal from office.
The latest scandal comes as victims of sexual abuse at the hands of Roman Catholic Priests had earlier called on the Pope to permit civilian justice for clerical pedophiles and their sponsors.
In late February, Erik Tvrdon, a Roman Catholic priest in the Czech Republic was sentenced to five years in jail after being convicted of rape and sexual abuse.
The Roman Catholic Church has been hit by numerous scandals of child sexual abuse by priests over the past few years.
JR/NN/HMV
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