Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a US bishop who pleaded guilty to failing to report a suspected priestly child abuser in the first known case of a pope sanctioning bishops for covering up for paedophiles.

The first American bishop criminally charged in the clergy sex abuse scandal was found guilty of a misdemeanour count of failing to report suspected child abuse, a conviction that extends the struggle of Catholic leaders to restore trust in the church.

KILKENNY is to have a second weekly newspaper before the end of the summer, a new regional newspaper which will battle for readers with the long-established Kilkenny People.