Pope Francis on Wednesday August 18 accepted the resignation of a bishop from the state of Sao Paulo (south-east), announced the National Confederation of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), this religious having been involved in a sex scandal, according to the press.
"
The Apostolic Nunciature announced that the Holy Father had today accepted the resignation (...) of the diocese of São José do Rio Preto (..) of Tomé Ferreira da Silva
", simply declared in a statement the CNBB .
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The 60-year-old bishop, who took office in 2012, tendered his resignation late last week after a video posted on WhatsApp groups and social media in which he masturbates while talking to the person who films it, said the information portal G1. The Brazilian press explained that the Vatican began to investigate the bishop in 2018, suspected of having covered cases of sexual assault in his diocese.
Pope Francis has appointed the Archbishop of Ribeirao Preto, Moacir Silva, to administer the diocese pending the appointment of a new bishop. Other similar cases recently rocked the Catholic Church in Brazil. Last January, the police confirmed that they were investigating the Archbishop of Belem (north), who had been accused by four former seminarians of genital touching, according to TV Globo. In May 2019, the Bishop of Limeira (State of Sao Paulo) submitted his resignation after being accused of financial embezzlement and non-reporting of pedophilia cases.
