Tomé Ferreira de Silva, the bishop of the Diocese of São José do Rio Preto in Brazil has resigned after a sex tape of him on a Zoom call reportedly surfaced.
Vatican Announced de Silva Resignation, Confirm Sex Tape. “The Vatican announced that Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Tomé Ferreira da Silva, 60, of Sao Jose de Rio Preto, who confirmed to a local newspaper Diario da Regiao that it was, in fact, him in the video, but provided no additional comment.” [NY Post]
Video of Zoom Call Circulated On Social Media. “On Aug. 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.” [Catholic News Agency]
Moacir Silva Replaced Priest. “Tomé Ferreira da Silva has now been replaced by Moacir Silva, archbishop of Ribeirão Preto, according to a news release issued by the National Conference of the Bishops of Brazil Wednesday (18 August) later sent out by the Vatican’s news service.” [PinkNews]
Diocese Was Accused Of Ignoring Abuse. “Local news network Globo reported in 2018 that the Sao Jose do Rio Preto diocese was the target of a Vatican investigation into whether Ferreira ignored reports of abuse, and had exchanged sexual messages with an adolescent. At the time, he cited personal reasons while stepping down as regional coordinator of the Ribeirao Preto archdiocese, of which Sao Jose do Rio Preto forms part, and where he remained bishop.” [AP]
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.
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