VATICAN CITY/OHIO
CBS News
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cleveland’s bishop, who, in 2012, was overruled by the Vatican in his bid to close parishes.
The Vatican’s announcement Wednesday about Bishop Richard Lennon’s resignation didn’t indicate when a successor would be named.
CBS Cleveland affiliate WOIO reports the Bishop Daniel Edward Thomas of Toledo will take over Lennon’s duties in the meantime.
Lennon, 69, is six years younger than the age when bishops must offer to resign. He underwent a heart procedure earlier this year.
The Vatican’s rebuff of his plans to shut 12 parishes was a rare instance when Rome reversed a U.S. bishop on such closures. Parishioners had challenged closures, holding sit-ins and even creating a breakaway congregation.
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