PARIS (AP) — The archbishop of Paris says Pope Francis has accepted his resignation after he admitted to an “ambiguous” relationship with a woman in 2012.
Archbishop Michel Aupetit said in a statement on Thursday that he offered to step down “to preserve the diocese from the division that suspicion and loss of trust are continuing to provoke.”
Aupetit, who had led the Paris church since 2018, sent a letter to Francis offering to resign following a report in Le Point magazine saying he had a consensual, intimate relationship with a woman. Aupetit has said he didn’t have sexual relations with the woman.
The pope has refused to accept similar offers from other prelates caught up in scandal.
The Associated Press
