Duluth bishop-elect resigns amid sexual abuse accusation
Source: Duluth News Tribune
Duluth bishop-elect resigns amid sexual abuse accusation
The Rev. Michel Mulloy was scheduled to be ordained and installed as the 10th bishop in the diocese's 130-year history on Oct. 1.
Written By: Tom Olsen | Sep 7th 2020 - 1pm.
The bishop-elect of the Diocese of Duluth has resigned following an accusation of sexual abuse of a minor in the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota.
The Rev. Michel J. Mulloy was scheduled to be ordained and installed as the 10th bishop in the diocese's 130-year history on Oct. 1.
According to a statement released Monday from the Diocese of Rapid City, the Holy See announced that Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Mulloy, who was appointed as bishop of Duluth on June 19.
The Diocese of Rapid City said it was notified Aug. 7 of an allegation against Mulloy of sexual abuse of a minor in the early 1980s. The diocese said it was the first accusation it has received against Mulloy, who has served as a priest in South Dakota for more than 40 years.
Rapid City Bishop Peter Muhich, a former pastor in Duluth who was ordained and installed as Rapid City's bishop July 9, informed law enforcement of the accusation. Mulloy was then directed to refrain from engaging in ministry, according to the statement.
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https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/crime-and-courts/6651088-Duluth-bishop-elect-resigns-amid-sexual-abuse-accusation#:~:text=The%20bishop%2Delect%20of%20the,year%20history%20on%20Oct.%201.
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Source:
Reuters
WORLD NEWS SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 / 10:31 AM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO
U.S. bishop-elect resigns over abuse allegation weeks before taking office
Philip Pullella
3 MIN READ
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - An American bishop-elect has resigned just weeks before he was due to start the job, following an allegation that he had sexually abused a minor, Catholic Church officials said on Monday.
Father Michel Mulloy, 66, was appointed by Pope Francis on June 19 to be bishop of Duluth, Minnesota and was due to be formally installed in a ceremony on Oct. 1.
It is almost unheard of for a bishop-elect to resign between the time of his appointment and installation. The episode pointed to the continuing impact the abuse scandal is having on the 1.3 billion-member Roman Catholic Church.
It was not immediately possible to contact Mulloy or his lawyers for comment on Monday, a public holiday in the United States.
A Vatican statement said Pope Francis had accepted Mulloys resignation, but gave no more details.
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Read more:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vatican-abuse-usa/u-s-bishop-elect-resigns-over-abuse-allegation-weeks-before-taking-office-idUSKBN25Y1I7