(LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of two prominent clergy associated with the Eastern Rite Chaldean Catholic Church.
On Tuesday, Bishop Emanuel Shaleta saw his role as the head of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle in San Diego, California come to an end. Also this week, Leo accepted the resignation of Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, formerly the Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad.
Shaleta, 69, submitted his resignation in January. He was arrested in March at the San Diego International Airport in what appeared to be an attempt to flee the country to fly to Germany. His Excellency had more than $9,000 cash in his bag, according to officials.
The Pillar reported in February that Shaleta had come under investigation after parish members noticed financial irregularities that indicated possible embezzlement of more than $1 million. The outlet also found that the Vatican launched an investigation into Shaleta that discovered he took dozens of trips to a Mexican brothel in Tijuana named the Hong Kong Club.
The New York Post picked up the story. Earlier this month, the outlet noted that Shaleta pleaded not guilty to 15 felony counts related to financial malpractice, including money laundering and white collar crime. Shaleta was released from prison after posting $125,000 bail on the same day the Vatican announced his resignation.
“I have never — in my episcopal life — have I used any penny of the church money,” Shaleta has said. “On the contrary, I have done my best to preserve and manage the donations.”
Cardinal Sako was reportedly vehemently opposed to the Vatican’s request that Shaleta resign. The Pillar said that Sako had been “attempting to rally support for the bishop in Rome,” a move that some suggested indicates he had at least some knowledge of his misdeeds.
“According to several sources close to the patriarch,” The Pillar also said, “Sako has complained that the allegations regarding financial misconduct reflect an unfair distrust in the bishop, and American attitudes of ‘puritanism’ regarding financial administration. The patriarch has reportedly dismissed the allegations of personal misconduct as an attempt to discredit the bishop.”
Shaleta was born in northern Iraq and was ordained in 1984. He was selected by Pope Francis to lead the Chaldean Eparchy in San Diego in 2017.
Sako’s resignation was highlighted in an article published on the Vatican News website earlier this week. The article explains that Sako, 75, “was not forced by anyone to do so and requested to resign voluntarily.” It also maintains that he resigned in order to “dedicate himself quietly to prayer, writing, and simple service.”
“I have led the Chaldean Church under extremely difficult circumstances and amid great challenges,” Sako stated. “I have preserved the unity of its institutions and have spared no effort to defend it.”
Given Sako’s apparent involvement in defending Shaleta, it is difficult to not see the resignation as part of a larger move by the Vatican to move beyond the scandal and start afresh. A press release issued by the Vatican announced that Leo appointed Bishop Saad Hanna Sirop, titular of Hirta, as apostolic administrator to replace Shaleta.
