Papal Contender Suspends Himself Amid Vatican Investigation into Sexual Assault Allegations
Spanish Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, the Archbishop of Rabat, Morocco, who was once considered a potential successor to Pope Francis, has temporarily suspended himself from public ministry after being accused of sexual misconduct by at least five adult women . The 74-year-old cardinal, known for his progressive views and work with the poor, issued a statement admitting he had been “accused of inappropriate behavior towards adult women” and confirmed that the Vatican has opened a preliminary investigation . “I have committed neither assault nor violence nor sexual harassment,” López Romero insisted, while pledging to fully cooperate with the investigation and to refrain from presiding over public celebrations and pastoral activities to avoid interfering with the inquiry.
The allegations, first reported by the French news agency AFP, span multiple countries and include claims of “particularly insistent and prolonged hugs” and an attempted physical advance that one woman said she “barely managed” to avoid . A written complaint sent to the Vatican embassy in Rabat in May 2025 described inappropriate physical contact, while a diocesan source alleged at least three other women had been victims of similar incidents, some reportedly made during confession . The investigation, which falls under the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops rather than the doctrinal office since the allegations involve adults, has drawn attention to what an archdiocese source described as “a culture of complicity and silence” around the cardinal . A priest who identified himself as the cardinal’s cousin appeared to confirm the allegations, writing in a column that López Romero is privately prepared to lose his rank . No criminal complaint has yet been filed with Moroccan authorities, and the cardinal, who was elevated to cardinal in 2019 and served as a Salesian missionary across Paraguay, Bolivia, and Spain, maintains his innocence while awaiting the Vatican’s decision.
