Pope Francis accepts West Virginia bishop's resignation, launches investigation into allegations against him of sexual misconduct

Yet another one, as reported by Peter Smith of Block News Alliance, September 13, 2018:

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Michael Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston, W.Va., on Thursday and launched an investigation of allegations of sexual harassment of adults against him.

The Pope accepted Bishop Bransfield’s resignation almost immediately after the bishop’s 75th birthday. That’s when Roman Catholic bishops of dioceses are required to offer their resignations, but typically the Vatican takes some time before finding a replacement.

Instead, the Pope appointed Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore to be apostolic administrator of the diocese and to oversee the harassment investigation.

“My primary concern is for the care and support of the priests and people of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston at this difficult time,” Archbishop Lori said in a statement. “I further pledge to conduct a thorough investigation in search of the truth into the troubling allegations against Bishop Bransfield and to work closely with the clergy, religious, and lay leaders of the diocese until the appointment of a new bishop.”

Baltimore is the “metropolitan see” of the church province that includes Wheeling-Charleston, a diocese with about 117,000 Catholics.

Tim Bishop, spokesman for the Charleston-Wheeling diocese, said Thursday he could not provide any specifics about the complaints. Bishop Bransfield was not available for comment.

The announcement came as top U.S. bishops were in Rome to talk about the crisis over the church’s handling of sexual abuse of children, as well as of sexual exploitation of adults. High on the agenda is the handling of disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the retired archbishop of Washington who’s accused of both.

Bishop Bransfield was ordained a priest in 1971 in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and consecrated a bishop in 2005 in Wheeling. One of the co-consecrators was Archbishop McCarrick.

Bishop Bransfield moved to Washington in 1980 for a series of prominent assignments at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He was elevated to bishop of Wheeling in 2005.

In 2007 a former student at a Catholic school where the bishop taught accused the bishop of molesting him in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The former student’s accusation did not become public until additional allegations against Bishop Bransfield emerged during the 2012 child endangerment trial of Msgr. William J. Lynn.

Bishop Bransfield strenuously disputed testimony in 2012 indicating he knew of abuse and alleging he participated. His West Virginia diocese said the allegation was unfounded.

Still, how much those past allegations may have played into Pope Francis’ decision Thursday to accept Bishop Bransfield’s resignation remains uncertain.

In addition to handling the investigation into Bishop Bransfield, Bishop Lori was appointed to temporarily take over the Wheeling diocese until a permanent replacement can be named.

Mr. Bishop, the spokesman for the Wheeling-Charleston diocese, said Thursday that Bishop Bransfield was unavailable for comment and that Pope Francis had instructed him to live outside of West Virginia pending the conclusion of the sexual harassment investigation.