Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of a Spanish bishop under investigation for allegedly sexually abusing a young seminarian in the 1990s. This marks the first known instance of the new pontiff removing a cleric accused of abuse.
A one-line Vatican statement confirmed Leo's acceptance of the resignation of Cádiz Bishop Rafael Zornoza, 76. While no reason was given, Bishop Zornoza had submitted his resignation last year upon turning 75, the standard retirement age for bishops.
It hadn't been accepted though until the El País newspaper reported earlier this month that Zornoza had been recently placed under investigation by a church tribunal. The daily, which since 2018 has exposed decades of abuse and cover-up in the Spanish Catholic Church, said Zornoza was accused of abusing a young former seminarian while he was a young priest and directed the diocesan seminary in Getafe.
The report, quoting a letter the former seminarian wrote the Vatican over the summer, said Zornoza fondled him and regularly slept with him from when he was 14-21 years old. The former seminarian’s letter said Zornoza heard his confession and persuaded him to see a psychiatrist to “cure” his homosexuality.
The diocese of Cádiz denied the accusations against Zornoza but confirmed the investigation was being carried out by the church court in Madrid known as the Rota. In a Nov. 10 statement, the diocese said Zornoza was cooperating with the investigation and had suspended his agenda temporarily “to clarify the facts and to undergo treatment for an aggressive form of cancer.”
“The accusations made, referring to events that took place almost 30 years ago, are very serious and also false,” the statement said. It is believed to be the first publicly known case of a bishop being retired and placed under investigation for alleged abuse since the Spanish church began reckoning with a legacy of abuse and cover-up. Leo did not immediately name a temporary leader of the diocese.
