On June 26, Pope Francis accepted the resignations of Bishop Thierry Brac de la Perrière, 64, the bishop of Nevers since 2011, and Bishop Jean-Pierre Batut, 68, the bishop of Blois since 2014. The Pontiff named the former an auxiliary bishop of Lyon, and the latter the auxiliary bishop of Toulouse.
Bishop Brac de la Perrière’s resignation comes at the conclusion of a six-month sabbatical for fatigue. Upon his resignation, Bishop Batut said, “I think it’s important to have the simplicity, the realism, and perhaps also the humility to say to oneself: Here, when the burden becomes too great, one can hand over one’s responsibility, and not necessarily to take on another responsibility as heavy.”