Bishop Howard Hubbard, shown in a 2003 photo, has asked the Vatican for permission to leave the priesthood following accusations of sexual misconduct, which he has denied .
The retired Catholic bishop of Albany, N.Y. has taken the extraordinary step of asking Pope Francis to remove him from the priesthood, saying he is unable to minister as a clergyman because of sex-abuse allegations that he denies.
Bishop Howard Hubbard , 84, said in a statement on Friday that he had “asked the Vatican for relief from my obligations as a priest and permission to return to the lay state.”