Brazilian archbishop quits over paedophile “cover-up”July 7, 2016 - 14:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A Brazilian archbishop has resigned after being accused of covering up actions of paedophile priests in his diocese, BBC News reports. Pope Francis accepted Bishop Aldo di Cillo Pagotto's resignation. In a statement (in Portuguese), Pagotto said he had committed some "mistakes" while trying to give shamed bishops a second chance. Last year he was investigated and barred from appointing priests in his home state of Paraiba. Pagotto was accused of letting priests into seminaries in his diocese that were rejected elsewhere for suspected paedophilia. In his statement, he said: "I welcomed priests and seminarians with the intention of offering them new opportunities in life. "Some were later suspected of committing serious wrongdoings... I made mistakes by trusting too much, with naive mercy." Last month the Pope said bishops who had been negligent over sexual abuse allegations could be removed from office. Pagotto resigned under a portion of canon law that allows for early retirement for "grave cause or illness". Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |