Pope Francis on Tuesday
removed a US bishop accused of covering up clerical sexual
abuse of children.
The pope accepted the resignation of the bishop of Crookston in
Minnesota, Michael J. Hoeppner.
He named Des Moines Emeritus Bishop Richard Edmund Pates as
temporary replacement.
Hoeppner, 71, in 2017 became the first bishop to be individually
charged with coercion after allegedly pressuring a candidate for
the deaconate to withdraw a past accusation of sexual abuse by a
priest.
The victim reportedly said that Hoeppner's alleged coercion had
been like "being subjected to the abuse once more".
Francis has pledged a zero tolerance approach to sex abuse and
has vowed to do more than his predecessors to stamp out abuse
and cover-ups.
Some victims say he has not yet done enough.
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