Vatican City
Pope Francis has forcibly removed the bishop of Memphis, in the US state of Tennessee, Monsignor Martin Holley, following a Vatican investigation into the diocese.
The Vatican didn’t say why Holley was removed. In a brief announcement Wednesday, the Vatican said only that Francis had “relieved from the pastoral governance” of the diocese and named Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz to replace him temporarily until a new bishop is named.
The phrasing in the announcement is commonly used by the Vatican when the pope forcibly removes a bishop who refuses to resign voluntarily. Earlier this year, the Vatican dispatched two archbishops to investigate Holley’s actions since he became bishop in 2016, news reports said at the time.
