ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has responded to reports of poor governance, financial mismanagement and moral failings in the Ecuadorian diocese of Riobamba by not only accepting the resignation of the retiring bishop but that of his heir apparent. Francis on Wednesday accepted the resignations of Bishop Julio Parrilla Diaz and his deputy, Monsignor Gerardo Miguel Nieves Loja. Nieves had been named “coadjutor bishop” for Riobamba last year and was due to be consecrated bishop in February, to take over when Parrilla retired. But Nieves offered his resignation to Francis a week before the ceremony. The resignation came weeks after a longtime Spanish missionary in Riobamba publicly blasted the governance of the dioceses under Parrilla.
