In Brazil, the Church again affected by a sex scandal
Pope Francis celebrating mass in Sao Paulo during his visit to Brazil in July 2013 (Photo illustration).
AFP - GABRIEL BOUYS
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
After three years of investigation into an alleged sex scandal in Brazil, a bishop has finally tendered his resignation.
Resignation accepted by the Vatican this week.
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With our correspondent in Sao Paulo,
Martin Bernard
The National Conference of Brazilian Bishops communicated the Holy See's decision without commenting on it.
Tomé Ferreira da Silva was the bishop of Sao José de Rio Preto, a city in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo.
His successor, appointed by the Vatican, asked the faithful to pray for him.
60-year-old Bishop Tomé was already the subject of a Vatican investigation.
He was suspected of involvement in a sex scandal and of having imposed the law of silence in his diocese, where he had been in office for nearly ten years.
It was following the dissemination of a compromising video on social networks that the religious handed in his resignation.
Recurring pedophilia cases
The Brazilian Catholic Church is periodically shaken by such scandals.
Two years ago, another bishop of the interior of the State of Sao Paulo had also resigned for not having denounced cases of pedophilia.
He was also accused of financial embezzlement.
Earlier this year, the Archbishop of Belem, in the Amazon, was also accused by four seminarians of sexual touching.
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