Bishop removed from area diocese following sexual harassment allegations

WHEELING, W. Va. — A West Virginia bishop has been removed from his post after allegations of sexual harassment by adults, the Vatican announced Thursday.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Michael Bransfield, and named a temporary administrator for his Wheeling-Charleston diocese.

The administrator, Baltimore Bishop William Lori, said in a statement that Francis had instructed him to "conduct an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment of adults against Bishop Bransfield."

Lori vowed to conduct "a thorough investigation in search of the truth into the troubling allegations against Bishop Bransfield."