Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Catholic Archbishop of Minsk, after he spoke out against the Belarus government and violence against protesters.
Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz was allowed to return to the country last month after being stopped from re-entering the country since August following a holiday in Poland, where he called for the resignation of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who is facing demands from protesters to step down.
The Vatican said in a short statement that the resignation was in accordance with a code that allows bishops to retire at age 75.
