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Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Emanuel Hana Shaleta of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle in California, following charges of embezzling church funds.
The Vatican did not provide a reason for Shaleta’s resignation in a statement released Tuesday. However, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said he was arrested at the airport on March 5 while attempting to leave the country.
He faces eight counts of embezzlement, eight counts of money laundering, and one count of aggravated white-collar crime enhancement.
Shaleta has been under investigation since August, when a church member reported suspected embezzlement. He is being held in San Diego Central Jail on $125,000 bail and, according to US media reports, is accused of misappropriating $270,000 (around €232,000).
He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday.
Born in Iraq in 1956, Shaleta has been in the United States since 1987. The Chaldean Church, an Eastern Catholic Church historically rooted in Iraq and Iran, maintains a significant diaspora community in the United States.
On the same day, the Vatican also announced that Pope Leo XIV had accepted the resignation of the Chaldean Church’s patriarch, Louis-Raphael Sako.
The Vatican noted that Sako had discussed retiring two years ago at age 75 with former Pope Francis but had been asked to continue.
No connection between the two resignations was indicated.
