VATICAN CITY (AFP) - Pope Francis on Wednesday (Oct 11) accepted the resignation of an Indonesian bishop who had been accused by his own priests of having a mistress and skimming US$124,000 (S$168,000) from Church coffers.

Ruteng bishop Hubertus Leteng will be replaced temporarily by Sylvester San, the Bali-based Bishop of Denpasar, pending a new appointment, the Vatican said in an appointments update that did not enter into details of the case.

A total of 69 priests were reported to have resigned in June in protest at Leteng's conduct, prompting a Vatican probe of allegations he took US$94,000 from the Indonesian bishops' conference and US$30,000 from his own diocese in unregistered transactions.

Leteng had denied the allegations but offered no explanation for his sudden departure on Wednesday, at the age of 58, 17 years before the usual retirement point for a bishop.