A Catholic bishop in Iowa who’s been at the center of controversies over priest sex abuse plans to retire. William Franklin, the bishop for the Diocese of Davenport, says he’ll retire when a successor is appointed to the post. Franklin has been bishop of the Davenport Diocese since 1993 and he says age — he is 75 years old — is the primary factor in his decision to step down. Last fall, the diocese Franklin leads settled 37 lawsuits against priests for nine-million dollars. Bishop Franklin also played a role in the decision to demolish four historic Catholic churches in Clinton and build a huge new Catholic church in Clinton on a 23 acre site.
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