The Pope accepts the resignation of Catholic Bishop Emmanuel Shaleta, who was accused of money laundering.

The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Chaldean Catholic Bishop Emanuel Shaleta of San Diego, California, has resigned from his position after being arrested on charges of money laundering and embezzlement, and Pope Leo XIV has accepted his resignation.

The bishop pleaded not guilty in a California court on Monday to 17 criminal charges filed against him. He is accused of embezzling $270,000 from St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in El Cajon, and many of his supporters were present at the courthouse during the trial.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Office arrested and jailed him on March 5, based on a statement from an individual connected to the bishop's church and documents showing embezzlement of church funds. Authorities say he was attempting to leave the country when he was arrested at San Diego International Airport.

The judge set his bail at $125,000 in court. Although prosecutor Joel Madero argued to the court that there was a high risk of the bishop fleeing the country, his lawyer contended that the flight in question had been planned in advance.

According to prosecutor Madero, the charges are based on the disappearance of over $30,000 in monthly rent owed by a party that leased a church-owned social hall, and inconsistencies in church accounts. Shaleta has presented unusual explanations regarding what happened to the money and has failed to provide proper evidence for it.

However, during a recent church service, Shaleta denied the charges, stating that he had never misused church funds and had done his utmost to properly manage donations received by the church. His lawyer, Sharon Applebaum, says she hopes to prove these allegations are false. Priests of the St. Peter the Apostle Chaldean Catholic Diocese have also issued a statement in support of the bishop.

The Vatican stated in its daily announcement that Pope Leo accepted the resignation under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, which allows a bishop to resign with the Pope's approval. According to the Vatican Embassy in Washington, the Pope accepted Shaleta's resignation immediately after it was submitted in February, but its official announcement was delayed until Tuesday to avoid obstructing police investigations.

Pope Leo has appointed Bishop Saad Hanna Siroop as the temporary administrator of the vacant diocese. Shaleta, 69, was ordained a priest in the Chaldean Catholic Church in Detroit in 1984. He was appointed to the San Diego branch of the Eastern Rite Catholic Church in the United States in 2017.