Bishop Tomé Ferreira da Silva Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Bishop of São José do Rio Preto last Wednesday, five days after a sexually explicit video of the bishop was shared on the internet.
Bishop Tomé Ferreira da Silva, 60, led the Diocese of São José do Rio Preto from November 16, 2012, until August 18. His resignation was announced by the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil.
“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,” said the CNBB’s statement.
On August 13, a minute-long video of Bishop Ferreira da Silva on a video call with another man began making the rounds on social media. In the video the bishop, wearing a striped polo shirt, is seen masturbating.