Catholic bishop resigns over alleged s€xual abuse

Pope Leo has accepted the resignation of a Spanish bishop who is currently the subject of a Vatican inquiry into an allegation of abuse, the Holy See announced on Saturday.

Bishop Rafael Zornoza is being investigated over an accusation of sexual abuse involving a teenage boy in the 1990s, an allegation he rejects. Zornoza, who has led the Diocese of Cadiz y Ceuta on Spain’s southern coast since 2011, is the first Catholic bishop in the country known to be under a Vatican probe in connection with such a claim.

The Vatican issued a brief statement saying only that Pope Leo had agreed to the bishop’s resignation, without referring to the case itself. At 76, Zornoza is already beyond the standard retirement age for bishops.

The Catholic Church, with its 1.4 billion members, has faced decades of scrutiny over abuse scandals and institutional cover-ups that have eroded trust and incurred heavy financial and moral costs.

Earlier this month, the Cadiz y Ceuta Diocese confirmed that the allegation is being examined by a Church tribunal convened at the Vatican’s diplomatic mission in Madrid.

Pope Leo, elected in May, has held two meetings with groups of abuse survivors in recent weeks.