Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignation of Washington Archbishop Donald W.
Wuerl, accused of covering for many paedophile priests when he was bishop of Pittsburgh.
Cardinal Wuerl, who turns 78 on November 12 and who had been archbishop of Washington since 2006, is the highest-ranking prelate involved in recent probes into clerical sex abuse, including in Pennsylvania.
His involvement in particular concerns the accusation that he covered up numerous cases of sex abuse by priests when he was bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006.
A recent Pennsylvania report said that over 1,000 minors were abused by 300 priests over 70 years.
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