Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of 69-year-old Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Salazar of Los Angeles.
He took the step after the archdiocese's independent Clergy Misconduct Oversight Board recommended that Bishop Salazar not be allowed to minister because of an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor in the 1990s.
The Vatican announced on December 19 that Pope Francis had accepted his resignation, although the Vatican did not explain the reason for his stepping down.
In a letter to the people of the archdiocese, Archbishop José Gómez said: "I regret to inform you that in 2005, a year after he had been ordained a bishop, the archdiocese was made aware of an allegation against Bishop Salazar of misconduct with a minor."
