Pope accepts resignation of accused US bishop

Pope John Paul has accepted the resignation of the Roman Catholic bishop of Lexington, Kentucky, who has been accused of molesting…

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.

Pope John Paul II last month

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.

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