Overview
- The Vatican press office said Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of 76-year-old Rafael Zornoza as bishop of Cádiz and Ceuta.
- Zornoza is accused of repeated sexual violence against a former seminarian in the 1990s when he was a priest in Getafe and led the major seminary.
- The case has long been before Vatican judicial bodies and was discussed by the Pope with Spain’s bishops earlier this week.
- Reporting indicates a preliminary inquiry by the Roman Rota is underway and the Pope emphasized care for victims alongside due process.
- The bulletin also named new appointments, including Javier Herrera Corona as nuncio to Algeria and new bishops for Larantuka in Indonesia and an auxiliary for Cuttack-Bhubaneswar in India, as Spain’s bishops reported 101 abuse cases in 2023.