BOSTON -- The Catholic chaplain of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Father Daniel Moloney, was asked to resign his post after making comments criticizing George Floyd's character and questioning whether his death in police custody was an expression of racism.

On June 7, Father Moloney sent an email to the MIT Catholic community in which he questioned the way Floyd's death and the issues related to it -- such as institutionalized racism and the behavior of police officers and protesters -- have been discussed.

In his email to the Catholics of MIT, Father Moloney said that Floyd "had not lived a virtuous life" and, while stating that the police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck "acted wrongly," questioned whether the officer was truly motivated by racism.

"In the wake of George Floyd's death, most people in the country have framed this as an act of racism. I don't think we know that. Many people have claimed that racism is (a) major problem in police forces. I don't think we know that," Father Moloney said in the email.

Suzy Nelson, an MIT vice president and dean for student life, called Father Moloney's comments "deeply disturbing."

"By devaluing and disparaging George Floyd's character, Father Moloney's message failed to acknowledge the dignity of each human being and the devastating impact of systemic racism," Nelson said in an email to students.

The archdiocese said it learned about the email from Catholics at MIT and alumni. On June 9, the archdiocese requested that Father Moloney resign, to which he agreed. He had been the Catholic chaplain at MIT since 2015.

According to the Associated Press, Father Moloney said on June 16 that he was trying to speak out against "cancel culture" and regrets that his message was misunderstood. He said he "didn't want to hurt anybody."

In a June 17 statement, archdiocesan spokesman Terrance Donilon said, "The personal opinions echoed in his comments regarding the murder of George Floyd do not reflect the positions of the archdiocese and are not consistent with the positions detailed in the recently issued statement of Cardinal Seán O'Malley."

"While Father Moloney's comments should not reflect on the entirety of his priestly ministry, they nonetheless were wrong and by his resignation, he accepts the hurt they have caused," Donilon said.

"MIT has a strong Catholic community that is active and strong in faith. The archdiocese is committed to providing pastoral care to the community and we welcome the opportunity to promote ongoing dialogue in the spirit of solidarity to reject racism in all its forms," he added.