Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a Polish bishop over allegations he was involved in covering up child sexual abuse by priests, the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday. The case is the latest in a long string of sexual abuse allegations that have shaken Poland's politically influential Catholic Church. Pope Francis "accepted the resignation" of Bydgoszcz Bishop Jan Tyrawa in connection with "reported negligence... in cases of sexual abuse against minors," according to the statement forwarded to local media by the Vatican's ambassador to Warsaw. In a spectacular move in March this year, a Polish state committee lodged a complaint alleging that an influential aide to late Polish-born pope John Paul II covered up clerical sexual abuse. The 81-year-old aide, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, was the pontiff's friend and secretary and worked alongside him in the Vatican. The cardinal, who retired in 2016, is also suspected of having hidden other cases of sexual abuse by clergy such as ex-US cardinal Theodore McCarrick from Saint John Paul II. Documentaries broadcast by Polish news network TVN24 over the last two years have revealed shocking cases of clerical abuse and notably raised questions about potential cover-ups by Dziwisz. Last year, the Vatican also announced the resignation of Polish bishop Edward Janiak over allegations that he too covered up sexual abuse of children. Slawoj Leszek Glodz, the Archbishop of Gdansk known for his high-end lifestyle and love of luxury, also resigned last year following accusations he had bullied priests and remained silent on alleged sex abuse. mas/frj/tgb