Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a Brazilian bishop who quit after an intimate video of him with another man leaked on social media.
Tomé Ferreira de Silva, the bishop of the Diocese of São José do Rio Preto submitted his resignation on Saturday after acknowledging that he was the man seen in the explicit video.
Bishop was Seen Caressing His Sexual Organ On Video Call with Another Man
According to Brazilian news outlet Globo, the video, which leaked on social media on Friday, showed Ferreira half-naked, exposing himself and caressing his sexual organ during a video call with another man and was allegedly engaged in an act of self-gratification.
When asked to confirm the video's authenticity by the newspaper Diario da Regiao, who first reported the news, the bishop acknowledged that the images were of him but declined to comment on the alleged content.
"I want to know how this video came out of my cell phone and into the Diario," Ferreira told the newspaper. "Who passed it on?" The bishop also initially threatened to make a report to the police over a potential breach of his privacy in regard to the video's becoming public.
Ferreira de Silva Replaced by the Pope
Pope Francis' acceptance of Ferreira's resignation was announced by the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil as well as the Vatican's news service on Wednesday. Ferreira has now been replaced by Moacir Silva, archbishop of Ribeirão Preto.
"The Apostolic Nunciature informs that the Holy Father accepted the request today of resignation from the pastoral government of the Diocese of São José do Rio Preto, presented by His Excellency," the statement says.
Previous Allegations of Sexual Misconduct Against Ferreira de Silva
Ferreira has previously faced calls to resign and has also been the subject of Vatican investigations over allegations of sexual misconduct and failure to act against a local clergy accused of abusing minors.
In 2015, Ferreira was accused of having an affair with a young man working as his driver, and of ignoring credible accusations of abuse of minors against local priests. The bishop was also faced allegations of financial mismanagement of the diocese.
Following those allegations, the Vatican launched an investigation against Ferreira but no further action was taken. In 2018, the bishop was investigated again, this time following allegations that he failed to act after being given information about the sexual abuse of minors by local priests.
That investigation was triggered by the 2017 arrest of a local priest who was found in possession of child pornography on his mobile phone, as well as personal information of local minors. The priest was arrested after a complaint by the mother of a 17-year-old boy, who was concerned about her son's frequent stays at the priest's residence.
However, the investigation again concluded with no action taken against Ferreira, who reportedly claimed he was the victim of a smear campaign by conservative elements within the local presbyterate.
