Pope Francis Accepts Resignation Of Canadian Bishop Sued For Obscenity Case

JAKARTA - Pope Francis accepted the resignation of a Canadian bishop on allegations of sexual harassment.

The Pope gave no reason to replace Jean-Pierre Blais, the 75-year-old bishop of Baie-Comeau in Quebec province, whose majority of people speak French.

But in a statement, he noted that every 75-year-old bishop was automatically asked to submit his resignation.

The Pope made the decision whether to accept the resignation "after he examined all his circumstances", the statement said.

Blais is mentioned in the list of sexual predators filed as part of the victim group's lawsuit against the Quebec Archdiocese.

He denies making any mistakes.

The Canadian Catholic Bishops' Conference and the Baie-Comeau Diocese have not been willing to comment on the Pope's decision.