Pope Francis on Monday September 7 accepted the resignation of an American bishop he had just appointed in June in Duluth (Minnesota, northern United States), a decision that comes after an accusation of child sexual abuse received from 'another state.
"
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation presented by the Bishop of Duluth, Mgr Michel Mulloy
", the Holy See announced Monday, September 7, without giving an explanation.
Read also: The Pope accepts the resignation of the Archbishop of Gdansk
The 66-year-old prelate never had time to arrive in Duluth, where he was due to take office on October 1.
The Diocese of Rapid City (South Dakota) for its part provided an explanation on its website: in early August, it received a notification about alleged sexual abuse of a minor perpetrated by the priest in the early 1980s.
He specifies that he followed the procedure by informing the police and asking the prelate to cease to exercise his functions, then he launched an independent investigation.
Its members concluded that "
the prosecution met the criteria of canon law to give rise to a further investigation
".
Bishop Mulloy then received a summary of the allegations made against him and submitted his resignation, the statement added.
The Diocese of Duluth expressed its "
sadness
" on its Facebook page, writing: "
we sympathize with all those who have suffered sexual abuse and with their loved ones
"
