Memphis Bishop Martin Holley forced to retire as head of diocese

Phillip Jackson | Memphis Commercial Appeal

Show Caption Hide Caption Bishop Martin Holley forced to resign Pope Francis has "removed" Bishop Martin Holley from the Catholic Diocese of Memphis.

Pope Francis has removed Bishop Martin Holley from the Memphis diocese, according to the Vatican.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville has been appointed apostolic administrator of the Memphis diocese.

Holley's removal concerns "management of the diocese, not abuse related," according to a Vatican spokesman.

Holley's removal, which comes two years after he was installed as bishop here, was first reported Tuesday by Church Militant, a conservative Catholic website. In the story, Church Militant said it obtained a confidential memo and emails about the decision.

The website said the emails were sent by the Apostolic Nunciature, Christophe Pierre, the Vatican's diplomatic representative in Washington. The decision comes from Pope Francis, who reportedly forced Holley to retire after he refused to resign.

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Reached late Tuesday, Amy Hall, the spokeswoman for the diocese, said Holley is "with family" and taking care of family matters and declined to comment on the report.

Holley has canceled his schedule for the rest of this week. The diocese's presbyteral council has scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday, the sources said.

In June, the Vatican dispatched two archbishops to Memphis on a fact-finding mission related to complaints from priests and parishes about Holley's leadership of the diocese.

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The visit, called an "Apostolic Visitation," also was first reported by Churchmilitant.com. It was led by Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta and Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul-Minneapolis.

The complaints related to Holley's decisions last year to reassign a majority of priests in the Catholic Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee. The new assignments removed priests from communities where they had served, many of them for years, and led to upheaval and complaints.

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The inquiry also focused on Holley's decision to assign Reverend Monsignor Clement J. Machado, a Canadian priest, to the high-ranking position of Vicar General of the diocese, the sources said. Local clergy have raised questions about whether Machado's incardination, or transfer, followed proper legal procedures.

About a week after the Visitation, Machado resigned. Holley said Machado needed time for his final year of study to obtain his licentiate degree in Canon Law and to help his recently-widowed mother.

Bishop Martin D. Holley In October 2016, the Most Reverend Martin D. Holley was installed as the fifth Bishop of Memphis during a Mass at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. (file)

The Most Rev. Martin D. Holley was installed as the fifth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis on Oct. 19, 2016. He came to Memphis from Washington, where he spent 12 years as an auxiliary bishop under the leadership of Cardinals Theodore McCarrick and Donald Wuerl. Both men attended his installation.

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The Pope accepted Wuerl's resignation two weeks ago, a consequence of a Pennsylvania grand jury report in August that depicted decades of systemic sexual abuse within the church. Wuerl served as bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988-2006.

McCarrick, Wuerl’s predecessor at the Washington Archdiocese, was removed from his position in June amid allegations he had sexually abused a teenager decades ago while serving as a priest in New York.

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On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine has begun an investigation of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Washington.

Holley has been less visible in public this month. On Oct. 10, the Bishops of Knoxville and Nashville released a statement on the pending execution of Edmund Zagorski. Holley did not sign the statement. In August, Holley had joined his fellow Tennessee bishops in signing a similar letter asking Gov. Bill Haslam "to put an end to the fast-track executions planned."

More: Memphis reacts to removal of Bishop Martin Holley

The response from parishioners reached Wednesday was varied.

Holley supporter David Wade, who attends St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Cordova, said it was "unbelievable" to lose Holley.

"It’s heartbreaking," he said.

Artie Byrd, who attends Incarnation Church in Collierville, said Holley's removal was the best decision for the diocese and his church.

"I'm just thankful this two years of very rough going in our diocese has ended," he said. "We've got a new beginning now."

The Commercial Appeal's David Waters, Katherine Burgess and Katie Fretland contributed to this report.