In 2018, the country launched an investigation into sodomy in the Spanish and Spanish Church database Updated with all known cases. If you know of any case that has not come to light, you can write to us: Abuse@elpais.es. If this is the case in Latin America, the trend is: Abuseamerica@elpais.es.
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The resignation of the Bishop of Cadiz, Rafael Zornoza, who was canonically investigated for sodomy in the 1990s, “could be accepted soon,” Luis Arguello, president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), said this month in Rome. “We were informed that it might be accepted,” he said after leaving the first meeting held by Pope Leo In this quote, the bishops also invited the Pope to visit Spain, as he had done many times with Francisco, but he finally took shape on a trip, showing his “hope” that Leon XIV would be able to accept the proposal.
In the case of the Bishop of Cadiz, in short, his departure from office is still pending, and uncertainty reigns both in the Vatican and in the Spanish Church, although four months have passed since they have heard of him. The only reaction was after the news was published last month. Before the impact of the scandal, the Spanish bishops confirmed last week that the resignation was “imminent” and even when it closes, next month. But time in the Holy See passes in a different way, and I also like that it is included in the agenda.
Moreover, Argüello revealed this month that the legal process itself, in the hands of the Vatican Chancery Tribunal, “takes only 15 days.” He added: “It is in the investigation stage.”
In response to a question about the slowness in the decision to separate “No” from “Zornoza” and in resolving the issue, Arguello replied: “The processes in general are always slow, because they are a guarantor, and we still believe in the state of right.” In this sense, he added: “We adhere to the existence of two rights, the right of any victim to present his case and the right to the presumption of innocence. This issue must be resolved through a procedure.” He added that it is necessary in this process to verify “the validity of the legitimate conviction of a cultivated personality.”
The Bishop of Cadiz said this month, after the news broke, that the accusations were false and that he had suspended his agenda “in order to clarify the facts.” He also stated that he believed it was cancer, a little-known detail that he revealed for the first time.
However, the management of the case contradicts one of the main recommendations of the Holy See’s Pontifical Commission for Palaces in its latest report, submitted last month, to speed up the removal of priests involved in abuse cases. The entity stressed “the importance of having a simplified protocol to reduce or isolate leaders or church employees in cases of abuse or neglect.”
In fact, Zornoza submitted his resignation last year, when he turned 75, following the legal rule that he automatically reaches that age. However, it is normal for the Pontiff to spend a few more years in this position, unless he has health problems or wants to send a subtle signal of reproach to some inquiries, which often never end up being passed. Before the conviction against Zornoza and the resulting scandal even came to light, the quickest way to address it was to carry out a task that was already on the table.
The other way was to put it aside as a precaution, something that had also been introduced and would have been decided in the Vatican and in the Diocese of Seville, which was in charge of the investigation, and which was delegated to the Rota Tribunal.
The Vatican opened an investigation against Zornoza on charges of abusing a minor in the 1990s – as stipulated in the courts – when he was a priest in Getafe, Madrid province, and director of the diocesan mayor’s school.
This is the first time in Spain that a bishop has been legally investigated for alleged sodomy. It is also the first time since his election six months ago that the Pope must face a case affecting a high church position, and it is up to him to determine his position before this seal and how he will act from now on. Moreover, the case of the Bishop of Cadiz calls into question how the Spanish Church acted in the face of the clerical sodomy scandal, after years of inaction by Francisco, who had confidence in how Central and Eastern Europe dealt with it, with little results and much criticism for the victims. The bishops celebrate their general meeting from Mars, where questions will be asked again.
(Breaking news. Update coming soon)
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