Brazilian bishop resigns days after sexual video circulates

By DAVID BILLER and NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A Brazilian bishop has resigned less than a week after a video came to light that featured someone, purported to be him, masturbating. Pope Francis accepted Dom Tomé Ferreira da Silva’s resignation, according to statements from the Vatican, the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops and Dom Tomé’s diocese Sao Jose do Rio Preto. Their statements didn’t confirm the cause of his resignation, nor did they immediately respond to questions about whether the bishop was the man in the video. They also didn’t respond to requests for comment or background on news reports the bishop had been previously investigated by the Vatican for allegedly turning a blind eye to reports of sexual abuse in his diocese.