VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a bishop in Ohio who failed to bring to the attention of superiors concerns about a priest, who has been ordered to stand trial for allegedly raping a young boy.
The Vatican announcement on Thursday gave no details about why Cincinnati Auxiliary Bishop Joseph R. Binzer had offered his resignation. But the Cincinnati archdiocese noted that Binzer had already been removed as director of priests’ personnel “after he failed to bring past concerns about Father Geoffrey Drew’s conduct to the attention of Archbishop Dennis Schnurr” and the priests’ personnel board.
Drew has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of rape.
