Pope Francis on Tuesday said he had accepted the resignation of a Canadian bishop who has been named in a class-action lawsuit against the church that alleges sexual assault.
The pope did not give a reason for replacing Jean-Pierre Blais, the 75-year-old bishop of Baie-Comeau in the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec, and the diocese said the resignation was not linked to the allegations. He also named a replacement: Reverend Pierre Charland, 62, currently a leading member of Canada’s Roman Catholic Franciscan order.
In a statement, the pope noted that any bishop who turns 75 is automatically requested to offer his resignation. The pope makes a decision on whether to accept the offer “after he has examined all the circumstances,” the statement said.
Blais is mentioned in a list of sexual predators filed as part of a victims’ class action against the Archdiocese of Quebec. He has denied any wrongdoing.
“The nomination of a new bishop … is not linked to the allegations against Bishop Blais,” the Diocese of Baie-Comeau said in an emailed statement, noting the church’s policy of requiring all those who hit 75 to offer their resignation.
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Blais would not be speaking to the media, it added.
—Reporting by David Ljunggren, editing by Caroline Stauffer, Hugh Lawson and David Gregorio
