Pope Leo XIV has taken the significant step of accepting the resignation of a Spanish bishop who is currently under church investigation for allegedly sexually abusing a teenage boy during the 1990s.
Details of the Allegations and Investigation
The Vatican confirmed in a statement released on Saturday that the Pope had accepted the resignation of Cadiz Bishop Rafael Zornoza, 76, though the statement made no direct reference to the abuse allegations.
This development follows a report by Spanish newspaper El Pais earlier this month, which revealed that Zornoza had been placed under investigation by a church tribunal. The national publication, known for exposing decades of abuse and cover-up within the Spanish Catholic Church, reported that Zornoza stands accused of abusing a young former seminarian while he served as a young priest and directed the diocesan seminary in Getafe.
According to the report, which cited a letter the former seminarian wrote to the Vatican during the summer, Zornoza fondled him and regularly slept with him from the age of 14 to 21. The letter further alleged that Zornoza heard his confession and persuaded him to see a psychiatrist in an attempt to 'cure' his homosexuality.
A Landmark Case for the Spanish Church
Zornoza is the first Spanish Catholic bishop publicly known to have been investigated by the Vatican over an allegation of sexual abuse. He had led the Diocese of Cadiz y Ceuta on Spain's southern coast since 2011.
The Diocese of Cadiz has formally denied all accusations against Zornoza but confirmed that an investigation is being conducted by the church court in Madrid, known as the Rota. In a statement issued earlier this month, the diocese stated that Zornoza was cooperating with the investigation and had temporarily suspended his agenda 'to clarify the facts and to undergo treatment for an aggressive form of cancer.'
The diocese's statement maintained, 'The accusations made, referring to events that took place almost 30 years ago, are very serious and also false.'
Broader Context and Papal Action
This case represents what would be the first instance of the new pontiff removing a bishop accused of abuse. Pope Leo, who was elected in May, has recently held two meetings with groups of abuse survivors in the past month, signalling a focus on the issue. The Pope has not yet appointed a temporary leader for the diocese.
The investigation into Zornoza occurs against a backdrop of a severe abuse crisis within the Spanish church. In 2023, Spain's first official probe into abuse suggested the number of victims could reach hundreds of thousands, based on a survey conducted by the office of Spain's ombudsman.
Following this, the Spanish Catholic hierarchy conducted its own report, stating in 2024 that it had found evidence of 728 sexual abusers within the church since 1945. This led to the launch of a compensation plan for victims, initiated after Spain’s government approved measures to force the church to pay economic reparations.
