Pope Resigns

A Polish bishop, whose diocese was reportedly the scene of a sex party organised by priests at which Polish media say a male prostitute collapsed after taking erectile dysfunction pills, has resigned, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was temporarily relieved of his pastoral responsibilities by Pope Francis in 2018 following allegations of rape by a nun, has resigned from the Jalandhar Bishop's post.

Pope Francis has said that pontiffs resigning instead of ruling for life should not become a "fashion" in the Roman Catholic Church and happen only in truly exceptional circumstances.

Recently deceased ex-pope Benedict described years of persistent sleeping troubles as the "main reason" behind his shock decision to step down in 2013, according to a German media report Friday.

Pope Benedict the Sixteenth died Saturday at the age of 95, the Vatican announced, almost a decade after he became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries.

Former pope Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff to resign as head of the Catholic Church since the Middle Ages, died on Saturday aged 95, the Vatican announced.

Former Pope Benedict, who died on Saturday aged 95, was the first pontiff in 600 years to resign, leaving behind a Catholic Church battered by sexual abuse scandals, mired in mismanagement and polarised between conservatives and progressives.

Pope Francis revealed in a new interview published on Sunday that after he was elected in 2013 he signed a letter of resignation to be used if someday severe and permanent health problems made it impossible to carry out his duties.

Pope Francis has dismissed reports that he plans to resign in the near future, saying he is on track to visit Canada this month and hopes to be able to go to Moscow and Kyiv as soon as possible after that.

Experts say the rumours within the insular Roman Curia are nothing new, and often fuelled by those with an interest.

Pope Francis is not thinking of resigning and is living "a totally normal life" following intestinal surgery in July, he said in a radio interview broadcast on Wednesday.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Luigi Ventura, the Holy See's ambassador to France, who has been accused of sexual harassment, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The spokesman for the Vatican and his deputy resigned suddenly on Monday, an official statement said.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Los Angeles auxiliary bishop Alexander Salazar over his "misconduct" with a minor, the Vatican said Wednesday.

Pope Francis says silence on abuse can "no longer be tolerated" as he ordered an investigation into Vatican archives concerning former archbishop of Washington Theodore McCarrick, who resigned in July.

A Polish bishop, whose diocese was reportedly the scene of a sex party organised by priests at which Polish media say a male prostitute collapsed after taking erectile dysfunction pills, has resigned, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was temporarily relieved of his pastoral responsibilities by Pope Francis in 2018 following allegations of rape by a nun, has resigned from the Jalandhar Bishop's post.

Pope Francis has said that pontiffs resigning instead of ruling for life should not become a "fashion" in the Roman Catholic Church and happen only in truly exceptional circumstances.

Recently deceased ex-pope Benedict described years of persistent sleeping troubles as the "main reason" behind his shock decision to step down in 2013, according to a German media report Friday.

Pope Benedict the Sixteenth died Saturday at the age of 95, the Vatican announced, almost a decade after he became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries.

Former pope Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff to resign as head of the Catholic Church since the Middle Ages, died on Saturday aged 95, the Vatican announced.

Former Pope Benedict, who died on Saturday aged 95, was the first pontiff in 600 years to resign, leaving behind a Catholic Church battered by sexual abuse scandals, mired in mismanagement and polarised between conservatives and progressives.

Pope Francis revealed in a new interview published on Sunday that after he was elected in 2013 he signed a letter of resignation to be used if someday severe and permanent health problems made it impossible to carry out his duties.

Pope Francis has dismissed reports that he plans to resign in the near future, saying he is on track to visit Canada this month and hopes to be able to go to Moscow and Kyiv as soon as possible after that.

Experts say the rumours within the insular Roman Curia are nothing new, and often fuelled by those with an interest.

Pope Francis is not thinking of resigning and is living "a totally normal life" following intestinal surgery in July, he said in a radio interview broadcast on Wednesday.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Luigi Ventura, the Holy See's ambassador to France, who has been accused of sexual harassment, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The spokesman for the Vatican and his deputy resigned suddenly on Monday, an official statement said.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Los Angeles auxiliary bishop Alexander Salazar over his "misconduct" with a minor, the Vatican said Wednesday.

Pope Francis says silence on abuse can "no longer be tolerated" as he ordered an investigation into Vatican archives concerning former archbishop of Washington Theodore McCarrick, who resigned in July.