NEW YORK, Sept 30, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - The Vatican on Wednesday announced a
new bishop for the Diocese of Brooklyn, after the retirement of long-serving
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, who was cleared in a sex abuse investigation.

  The 77-year-old DiMarzio had been the subject of a high-profile Vatican
probe after two men accused him of abusing them fifty years ago when he was a
priest in New Jersey.

  Earlier this month, the Vatican cleared DiMarzio in the investigation,
saying the accusations against him do not "have the semblance of truth."

  The lawyer for the two men dismissed the Vatican probe as biased and said
they will pursue civil lawsuits against the priest.

  DiMarzio, whose resignation was earlier accepted by Pope Francis, will be
succeeded by Bishop Robert Brennan, 59, a native of New York City, who has
served as the Bishop of Columbus, Ohio since 2019, according to US media
reports.

  "Today I welcome Bishop Robert Brennan appointed as the eighth Bishop of
Brooklyn," DiMarzio said on Twitter. "I have known Bishop Brennan for years
and have great confidence in his ability to lead the diocese."

  Several states in northeastern United States have been rocked by sexual
abuse scandals in recent years. The drama is illustrated by the 2015 Oscar-
winning film "Spotlight," which documents how journalists with the Boston
Globe newspaper uncovered sexual abuse committed by dozens of Boston priests.

  According to BishopAccountability.org, between 1950 and 2016, the Catholic
Church in the US received complaints from more than alleged 18,500 victims
claiming abuse by more than 6,700 clergy members.