CNA Newsroom, Dec 13, 2022 / 05:14 am
A bishop in the U.K. has taken the unusual step of announcing his resignation on the grounds that the office is “too great a burden.”
Bishop Robert Byrne of Hexham and Newcastle announced his resignation on Dec. 12 in a letter to the people of his diocese, which is based in the northeast of England.
He wrote: “The Church’s teachings confirm the diocesan bishop needs to be as Christ among the people entrusted to him. The office of bishop carries great responsibility to provide spiritual leadership and governance to the diocese. As St. John Paul II observed: ‘What does the Lord require of us? What does the Lord require of me?’
“I have recently had need to discern and reflect upon this question for myself and the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. Having done so, and with great sorrow and reluctance, I have concluded that the office of the diocesan bishop has become too great a burden and I feel I must resign from my position as your bishop.”