Pope accepts resignation of US bishop accused of sexual harassment (Punch)

A US bishop accused of molesting adults resigned on Thursday, in the latest sex abuse scandal to rock the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Monsignor Michael J Bransfield as bishop of Wheeling-Charleston in the US state of West Virginia, a Vatican statement said.

Separately, the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston said on its website that Bransfield, 75, will be investigated over “allegations of sexual harassment of adults.”

The probe is to be led by Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, who was named interim leader of the diocese. Read more