Pope Francis on Monday
accepted the resignation of a US bishop accused of abusing a boy
when he was a priest in the early 1980s.
Msgr Michael Mulloy had been named bishop-elect of Duluth,
Minnesota, on June 19 this year.
The diocese of Duluth said that after the appointment the
diocese of Rapid City had been "notified of a charge against
Father Mulloy of sexually abusing a minor in the early 1980s."
Mulloy, 66, was appointed to lead the Minnesota diocese on June
19, and his consecration and installation as bishop were
scheduled to take place Oct. 1, the Catholic News Service
reported Monday.
According to a statement from the Diocese of Rapid City, where
Mulloy had been administrator since August 2019, the diocese on
Aug. 7 "received notification of an allegation against Father
Mulloy of sexual abuse of a minor in the early 1980s."
Mulloy received a summary of the allegation against him and
subsequently submitted his resignation as the bishop-elect of
Duluth.
Mulloy had been vicar general and vicar for clergy in the
Diocese of Rapid City since 2017.
His appointment as bishop of Duluth almost three months ago
followed the unexpected death of Bishop Paul Sirba on Dec. 1,
2019, at the age of 59, the Catholic News Service said.
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