US bishop resigns after saying he fathered two kids

Jan 05, 2012 |

IANS/EFE

Vatican City

Tags:

religion

A 60-year-old bishop in Los Angeles has given his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI after it was disclosed he was the father of two teenage children, the Vatican said.

Benedict has accepted the resignation of Gabino Zavala as auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles.

Zavala served as auxiliary bishop for the San Gabriel pastoral region of the southern California archdioces.

The official announcement came a month after Zavala informed Los Angeles archbishop Jose Gomez that he had fathered two children now living with their mother in another state.

"The archdiocese has reached out to the mother and children to provide spiritual care as well as funding to assist the children with college costs. The family's identity is not known to the public, and I wish to respect their right to privacy," the archbishop said in a letter to Catholics in Los Angeles.

Zavala "will be living privately", Gomez said.

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