Pope Francis accepted the resignation of a 59-year-old Swiss bishop on October 9 who said “inner fatigue” had made his office “unbearable” to him.
Bishop Valerio Lazzeri was in charge of the Diocese of Lugano in Switzerland since 2013.
During a press conference Monday afternoon, he said: “Sincerity and complete transparency compel me to tell you that, especially in the last two years, an inner fatigue has grown in me that has gradually deprived me of the momentum and serenity needed to lead the Church of Lugano.”
Lazzeri added: “The public aspects, the representation, the financial and administrative management, have become unbearable for me, despite the valuable presence of collaborators to whom my gratitude is due.”
Lazzeri was born July 22, 1963, and ordained a priest in 1989. Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Lugano, in the Swiss Canton of Ticino, in late 2013.
In a brief statement Monday, the Holy See press office did not elaborate on possible reasons for the resignation, which is not mandatory for bishops until their 75th birthday.