Bishop Emeritus Rafael Zornoza, the former bishop of Cádiz and Ceuta, has insisted he is innocent of allegations that he sexually abused a young boy when the alleged victim was aged between 14-21.

Following the acceptance of his resignation and an appointment of an apostolic administrator by Pope Leo XIV over the weekend, the Diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta published a statement from Zornoza in which he thanked the Holy Father and insisted he was going to fight the allegations.

“I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for his understanding and paternal closeness, in granting me the power to dedicate myself fully to the medical treatments required by my current state of health, as well as to attend with serenity and trust in God to my defense against an unjust and false accusation, which is being studied by the Church,” he said.

Zornoza was accused of sexually abusing the complainant in the 1990s when the bishop was a priest of the Diocese of Getafe and rector of the seminary there, and the Vatican subsequently opened an investigation which Pope Leo was aware of.

“An investigation has been opened, and we must allow it to proceed; depending on the results, there will be consequences,” the pontiff said to journalists last week at Castel Gandolfo.

The complainant said that the abuse started when he was 14 and continued when he entered the seminary when he was 18, and he left when he was 21.

Spanish newspaper El País reported some of the accusations that were sent to the Vatican.

“It was at night when he came to the room, and I suffered the abuse. He got into my bed, caressed me and kissed me. In the mornings I also woke up the same way. At that time, I never said anything to him, paralysis controlled me,” the complainant said.

Zornoza has maintained his innocence from the start and in early November stepped back from duties “to attend to the treatment of an aggressive cancer he is receiving” according to a statement from the diocese at the time.

The bishop submitted his resignation last July when he turned 75. “The Holy See has made public the acceptance by the Holy Father of my resignation from the office of Bishop of Cádiz and Ceuta, presented last July 2024, in accordance with canon 401 of the Code of Canon Law, and reiterated by me on two occasions,” he said in his statement.

Bishop Ramón Valdivia Giménez, Auxiliary Bishop of Seville, was appointed as the apostolic administrator, and Zornoza described him as “a valuable bishop, jurist, philosopher, and theologian, and a dear friend with whom you will immediately feel welcomed, and who will encourage your pastoral efforts.”

“I also thank the Holy Father for the appointment of an administrator for this diocese, a sign of his concern for the spiritual and pastoral well-being of the People of God who journey in Cádiz and Ceuta,” he added, again thanking Pope Leo.

Speaking on X (formerly Twitter), Archbishop Luis Argüello, the president of the Spanish bishops’ conference and Archbishop of Valladolid, seemed to compare Zornoza’s case to that of Álvaro García Ortiz, the attorney general who was found guilty by the Spanish supreme court of leaking confidential information and subsequently resigned.

“Some media outlets maintain the innocence of someone who has already been convicted and assert the guilt, with execution in the public square, of someone who has not been tried. It is necessary for them to review their measuring stick. At stake is the health of our democracy and the well-being of our coexistence,” the archbishop wrote.

Investigation opened against religious teacher in Málaga

The civil guard has opened an investigation into alleged abuse by a religious teacher in the town of Cártama, Málaga, following a complaint by a group of parents at his school.

According to a statement from the diocese of Málaga, the teacher “trusts in prompt clarification of the facts by the justice system” and “and therefore makes himself available to the authorities to collaborate in everything that is necessary”.

The diocese said “there is no record of any prior complaint in this teacher’s history during his more than 30 years of service as a teacher”.

“While respecting the presumption of innocence of the teacher, the diocese reiterates its condemnation of any abuse committed against minors and vulnerable individuals, and recognizes the importance of reporting such situations,” the statement added.