Vatican Opens Inquiry Into Spanish Bishop Abuse Allegations

A Catholic bishop in Spain is being investigated by the Vatican over an allegation of abuse that the cleric firmly denies, his diocese said in a statement on Nov 10.
Spanish paper El Pais first reported earlier on Nov 10 that Bishop Rafael Zornoza was under investigation over an allegation of sexual abuse of a teenage boy in the 1990s.
According to the diocese’s statement, Bishop Zornoza is temporarily suspending his schedule while the case is being investigated and will cooperate fully with the inquiry.
Bishop Zornoza, who has led the Diocese of Cadiz y Ceuta on Spain’s southern coast since 2011, is the first Spanish Catholic bishop publicly known to have been investigated by the Vatican for an allegation of abuse.
For decades, the 1.4 billion-member Church has been shaken by scandals around the world involving abuse and cover-up, damaging its credibility and costing it hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.
The Vatican press office did not immediately respond to a request …