Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta: Another Skeleton Appears in Pope Francis’ Closet
Zanchetta retired in August 2017 as bishop of Orán, for "health reasons". Shortly after, Francis created for him a new position at the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.
Now, El Tribuno de Salta wrote that Zanchetta was removed because his own clergy accused him of homosexual abuses and abuse of power against his own seminarians, aged between 20 and 25.
Zanchetta is also suspected of having transferred three whistle-blower priests who had informed the Nuncio of the sexual abuse of three seminarians and the abuse of power against ten other seminarians between 2014 and 2015.
The Nuncio at the time, Swiss-born Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig, did not act. Francis promoted him in September 2017 as Nuncio to Italy.
Zanchetta is also accused of having bought the silence of priests by using diocesan funds to give them money, clothes and computers. Abused seminarians were silenced with a pair of slippers, a notebook, or imported clothes.
The abuses allegedly involved masturbation, groping, psychological and power pressure, extorting the seminarians or stimulating them with gifts.
One piece of evidence send to the Nuncio allegedly comprised nude pictures of Zanchetta, sometimes accompanied by another male. They were exchanged on a gay porn site.
It is clear that Pope Francis was fully aware of the abuses going on in Orán.
Zanchetta was among the first bishops named by Pope Francis. They are now living together in Casa Santa Maria.
Picture: Gustavo Zanchetta, #newsBxkyqcdedm
