Pope Leo XIV may soon accept the resignation of a Spanish bishop who is under church investigation for allegations that he sexually abused a young seminarian in the 1990s.
According to The Associated Press, Archbishop Luis Javier Argüello García, head of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, told reporters Monday in St. Peter’s Square that he had spoken with Leo about the case during a private audience.
His comments confirmed reports from El País that Cádiz Bishop Rafael Zornoza, 76, is now the subject of a canonical investigation opened two weeks ago.
It marks what is believed to be the first publicly known church investigation of a Spanish bishop accused of abuse since the country began confronting decades of misconduct and institutional cover-up.
The diocese of Cádiz has denied the accusations but acknowledged the inquiry, noting it is being handled by the Rota, the church court in Madrid.
In a Nov. 10 statement, the diocese said Zornoza was cooperating and had paused his public schedule “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.
El País, which has played a central role in exposing abuse within the Spanish church, reported that Zornoza is accused of abusing a former seminarian while serving as a young priest and director of the Getafe seminary.
According to a letter the alleged victim sent to the Vatican this summer, Zornoza fondled him and routinely slept beside him between the ages of 14 and 21. The letter also claimed Zornoza heard his confession and urged him to see a psychiatrist to “cure” his homosexuality.
Speaking with reporters, Argüello emphasized the need to protect both “the right of the victim to come forward and the right to the presumption of innocence.”
Zornoza submitted his resignation last year upon turning 75, the retirement age required of bishops, but the Vatican did not immediately accept it. Argüello indicated that could soon change.
“They have told us that it may be accepted,” he said. “That it will be accepted on a specific date and time, no, but that it may be accepted, yes.”
Zornoza is believed to be the first Spanish bishop publicly known to face a child sexual abuse investigation, a milestone in a country still grappling with revelations of widespread abuse. In 2023, Spain released its first official report on the issue, estimating—based on a national survey—that the number of victims could reach into the hundreds of thousands.
Spain’s bishops apologized but rejected the report’s conclusions as a “lie,” arguing the data lacked context. The hierarchy later issued its own findings, reporting in 2024 that church investigators had identified 728 accused abusers dating back to 1945.
The church subsequently launched a compensation plan after the government moved to require financial reparations for victims.
