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Pope Francis delivers his speech at his weekly audience on St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Wednesday, September 12, 2018. (Alessandra Tarantino / AP)
Pope Francis has ordered an investigation into Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, in connection with charges of sexual harassment and has accepted his resignation, officials said Thursday. ;church.
Pope charged Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore to investigate allegations that Bransfield, 75, sexually harassed adults, The archdiocese of Baltimore said in a statement. Lori has also been appointed Apostolic Administrator of Wheeling-Charleston.
The investigation and resignation were announced the same day Francis met a delegation of American Catholic Cardinals and Bishops following allegations of sexual abuse and concealment of wrongdoing.
The meeting was requested by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, after Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was revealed to his post despite allegations of sexual misconduct. An archbishop accused Francis himself of turning a blind eye to the alleged misdeeds of McCarrick, who resigned from the College of Cardinals.
In a statement released Thursday on the Bransfield case, Lori said, "My main concern is the care and support of the priests and people of the diocese of Wheeling-Charleston during this difficult time.
He added: "I am also committed to conducting a thorough investigation in search of the truth about the disturbing allegations against Bishop Bransfield and to work closely with the clergy, religious and lay leaders of the diocese up to and including the following. to the appointment of a new bishop.
Bishop Michael J. Bransfield sits at his office in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 2005. (DALE SPARKS / AP)
According to the statement from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Lori will continue to serve as Archbishop of Baltimore during the administration of the Diocese of West Virginia.
Bransfield, a Philadelphia native who began his career as a priest in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, was charged in 2012 with a trial of other Philadelphia clergy for sexually assaulting teens in the late 1980s. 1970 or the early 1980s. He denied the allegations.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia said it had been informed of an allegation against Bransfield in 2007 regarding sexual misconduct in the 1970s, but prosecutors did not pursue the case at that time. ;time. The case was reopened in 2012.
Bransfield was for some time deputy director of an archdiocesan high school in Philadelphia. He was later appointed director of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. Since February 2005, he has been head of the state diocese of West Virginia.
The Vatican announced on Wednesday that the pope will convene an unprecedented meeting early next year to discuss the prevention of abuses by Roman Catholic clerics and the protection of children. The extraordinary conclave, scheduled for 21-24 February at the Vatican, aims to respond to complaints that the Vatican has not taken adequate measures to prevent the abuses many Catholics should have adopted years ago.
Pope's Thursday meeting with US Catholic leaders, including DiNardo, was to focus on his request for an investigation by the Vatican to explain how McCarrick rose through the ranks, becoming one of the most powerful cardinals in the world. sexual behavior. Although McCarrick resigned from his post as cardinal in July, some church leaders say it is essential to determine who will protect him. McCarrick became a cardinal in 2001 and was archbishop of Washington from 2001 to 2006.
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