On the morning of Tuesday, January 7, Dominique Rey, the controversial bishop of the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, southeastern France, tendered his resignation to Pope Francis, who accepted it immediately. Rey's resignation had been eagerly anticipated by Rome, which did not appreciate what it viewed as his sloppy handling of the diocese. The litany of criticisms leveled at the bishop include disastrous finances, the acceptance of priests rejected everywhere else, loss of control over the communities established in his diocese, and even the number of traditional masses.

In June 2022, the pope forbade Rey from ordaining new priests. The pontiff also ordered an apostolic investigation, leading the Vatican to appoint Bishop François Touvet as coadjutor – a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop – in November 2023. It was just over a year since 72-year-old Rey had been placed under guardianship, cohabiting with another bishop charged with governing the diocese in his stead. Officially, Rey could have stayed on until 2027, when he was due to retire. Unofficially, the Holy See was just waiting for Rey's resignation, of his own accord. This was something he had refused to do, until now.

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