Pope John Paul has accepted the resignation of the Roman Catholic bishop of Lexington, Kentucky, who has been accused of molesting a boy more than two decades ago.
The Vatican said the Pope accepted the resignation of Bishop James Kendrick Williams in accordance with a code of canon law that urges a bishop to offer to step down if health or "another serious reason" prevents him from carrying out his duties.
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Pope John Paul II last month
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Williams (65) has denied charges that he molested an altar boy 21 years ago. Bishops normally hand in their resignation when they turn 75. In a statement released last month, Williams said he did not remember the young man who had made the accusations.
Mr James Bennett (33) of Louisville, made the allegation in a suit filed against the Archdiocese of Louisville. It alleges that a "Father Williams" abused Bennett at a Louisville church where the bishop was stationed in 1981.
Williams, who took a leave of absence after the suit was filed, is one of the higher-ranking church officials so far swept into the scandal which has rocked the church in the United States.