The Archbishop of Rabat, a leading figure of the progressive wing of the College of Cardinals, denies all aggression and announces that he will not preside over public celebrations or carry out pastoral activity while Rome investigates. The complaints, according to AFP, describe inappropriate behavior with adult women; in some cases, a relationship of authority or dependence could be involved.
Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, Archbishop of Rabat, has withdrawn from his public duties this Tuesday while the Holy See investigates the complaints filed against him by five adult women. The news, first reported by the France Presse agency in a special investigation, has been confirmed by the cardinal himself in a statement released by the Archdiocese of Rabat.
What he is accused of
According to the information available so far, the accusations refer to inappropriate behavior toward adult women: “inappropriate” physical contact, “especially intense and prolonged hugs,” and, in one case, “an attempt to approach physically” to kiss the complainant. This is stated in the written complaint sent to the apostolic nunciature in Rabat, which AFP claims to have examined, along with the testimony of a retired woman linked to the Church. At least three other women reportedly claim to have experienced similar episodes.
There is no indication so far, according to what has been published, that the complaints involve minors or seminarians or clergy under his authority. These are complaints from adult women regarding conduct they describe as assault, which the cardinal denies: “I have not committed any violence, assault, or sexual harassment,” he stated.
In some cases, however, there could be an asymmetrical power or dependency relationship between the archbishop and the complainants, women connected to the local Church. This element—the possible abuse of authority—is what determines that conduct with adults may fall within the scope of the motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi. It will be up to the investigation to clarify whether or not this occurred.
Only Rome can investigate a cardinal
As a member of the College of Cardinals, the preliminary investigation does not fall to any local body but to the Holy See. Cardinal López Romero himself confirms this in his statement: “I am accused of inappropriate behavior toward adult women. This situation has led the Church to open a preliminary investigation. This investigation is ongoing and in the hands of the Church’s Roman authorities, with whom I am cooperating.”
Vos estis lux mundi establishes that the preliminary investigation must be concluded within ninety days, which may be extended if circumstances require, and allows precautionary measures to be imposed on the person under investigation. There is no indication that Rome has imposed any: it was the cardinal himself who stepped back on his own initiative. “During this period of investigation, so as not to hinder it, I will not preside over any public celebration and will not take part in any pastoral activity,” he announces, referring pastoral matters to the vicar general during the summer and any complaints to the diocese’s Abuse Prevention Service.
“I am fully aware of the difficulties this causes and of the legitimate questions it may raise in everyone,” the cardinal acknowledges, asking for prayers “for the people suffering in this situation” and for himself.
A cardinal of the progressive wing, at his moment of greatest prominence
López Romero, 74, is one of the cardinals most closely identified with the line of Pope Francis’s pontificate, who appointed him Archbishop of Rabat in 2017 and created him cardinal in 2019. A Salesian born in Vélez-Rubio (Almería) and raised in Badalona, with many years of mission work in Paraguay and Bolivia, he has made interfaith dialogue between Islam and Christianity and the migrant cause the pillars of his public message. Asked in March about his ideological position, he replied with his usual candor: “The far left is still too far to the right for me.”
The complaints come at a time of his greatest ecclesiastical prominence: he was a very active member in the conclave that elected Leo XIV, was appointed by the new Pontiff to the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life, participated in the recent consistory, and accompanied the Pope during his visit to Spain, where he described European migration policy as “mean, selfish, and myopic.”
The Roman investigation must now determine the scope of the reported facts. The cardinal is entitled to the presumption of innocence; the complainants have the right to have their testimonies examined rigorously.