Spanish Bishop under investigation for sexual abuse resigns

Spanish Bishop under investigation for sexual abuse resigns

Pope Leo has accepted the resignation of Bishop Rafael Zornoza, a senior Spanish cleric currently under a Vatican investigation for an alleged case of sexual abuse dating back to the 1990s. The Holy See announced the development on Saturday in a brief statement that did not mention the ongoing inquiry.

Zornoza, who has overseen the Diocese of Cádiz y Ceuta on Spain’s southern coast since 2011, is accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy — an allegation he strongly denies. He becomes the first Catholic bishop in Spain known to be the subject of a Vatican probe connected to such claims.

READ ALSO:

• Four defence ministry directors freed after two weeks in captivity; two feared dead from exhaustion
• Federal High Court denies assassination attempt on Justice Omotosho after Kanu life sentence
• FG considers joint security task force to rescue kidnapped students after briefing from DSS DG

The Vatican noted only that Pope Leo had agreed to the bishop’s resignation. At 76, Zornoza is already past the Church’s mandatory retirement age for bishops, but the timing of his departure has drawn attention due to the gravity of the accusation.

The Catholic Church, with more than 1.4 billion members worldwide, continues to face intense scrutiny over decades of clerical abuse scandals and alleged institutional cover-ups, which have triggered widespread criticism and significant moral and financial repercussions.

Earlier this month, the Cádiz y Ceuta Diocese confirmed that the allegation against Zornoza is being reviewed by a Church tribunal operating under the authority of the Vatican’s diplomatic mission in Madrid.

Since his election in May, Pope Leo has held two separate meetings with groups of abuse survivors, a move widely seen as part of his effort to address the Church’s troubled legacy on clergy abuse.

Spanish Bishop under investigation for sexual abuse resigns