New scandal for the Catholic Church. The pope announced Wednesday the resignation of Mgr Richard Malone, bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, where two years ago there was a huge scandal of pedophilia.
In a short statement, the Vatican announced that the pope had "Accepted the resignation" the prelate, 73 years old, without however putting forward a motive. Mgr Malone had met the pope in Rome last month, accompanied by a delegation of American bishops.
The diocese of Buffalo has been in crisis since February 2018, when a retired priest admitted to sexually assaulting children, leading to complaints about other priests.
Compensation victims, prosecutions launched
The diocese has already paid $ 17.5 million to 106 victims during their childhood, says the newspaper The Buffalo News, which talks about 220 new lawsuits. The Vatican has also investigated this diocese.
In a statement published on the site of the diocese, the prelate resigned, who will remain "Bishop emeritus" from Buffalo, confirmed that he was pressured to resign because of his management of the scandal. "I have recognized on many occasions the mistakes I have made in deciding personnel issues too slowly", he wrote, while stressing that he had implemented new prevention procedures and met many of the victims of pedophilia.