In Zamora, Bishop Fernando Valera has defended the diocese’s actions in response to the accusation of sexual abuse against a diocesan priest and has rejected the claim that the Bishop’s Office had knowledge of the case since 2023. According to his explanation, the first information about a possible abuse was received on 10 September 2025, and from that point the canonical investigation was opened, possible victims were contacted, civil authorities were informed, and the file was ultimately sent to Rome.
Valera has now detailed the procedure followed by the diocese after the existence of the case was made public on 27 August. The bishop stressed that he even travelled personally to Rome to address the file and try to expedite its processing before the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. The priest remains provisionally removed from his duties while the proceedings continue, and no sentence has yet been issued.
The diocese places the first report in September 2025
According to the explanation given by Valera and reported by ZamoraNews, what the Bishop’s Office initially received was not a formal complaint, but a notification about the possible existence of a case of sexual abuse.
The bishop places that first communication on 10 September 2025 and thus rejects the claim that the diocese had knowledge of the facts since 2023. After receiving the notification, he states that the people who could have been victims were contacted to ascertain their willingness to give a statement, and the corresponding canonical preliminary investigation was launched.
During that phase, testimonies and documentation were gathered. Once completed, the file was sent to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is competent to examine this type of case.
Valera also explained that he travelled personally to Rome to deal with the matter and speed up its processing. According to his account, a second communication from the Holy See arrived on 27 July, after the preliminary investigation had been sent to the Vatican. The bishop considers that the timeframes followed in the procedure were especially swift.
Precautionary measures and communication to civil authorities
The diocese did not limit itself to the canonical procedure. It also brought the facts to the attention of the competent civil authorities and has reiterated its willingness to cooperate with the justice system in everything required of it. This action is also recorded in the official communiqué published by the Bishop’s Office on 27 August.
In the ecclesiastical sphere, precautionary measures were imposed on the priest: the temporary cessation of his duties as parish priest, the suspension of the public exercise of his ministry, and the prohibition of participating in any activity involving minors.
Valera has defended that preventive action was taken as soon as the diocese became aware of the case and that contact was maintained with those who could have been victims. At the same time, the Bishop’s Office has recalled that the measures adopted are precautionary, do not constitute a declaration of guilt, and the presumption of innocence of the priest must be preserved until there is a resolution of the ongoing proceedings.
“Painful” and “difficult”
The bishop has described the situation as “painful” and “difficult” and has placed the diocese’s actions on three criteria: clarifying what happened, cooperating with the authorities, and respecting both the complainants and the investigated priest.
Valera’s explanation thus provides new details to the information known at the end of August. At that time, the diocese publicly stated that the testimonies received attributed to the priest acts that allegedly occurred when the complainants were minors and that the Holy See, after studying the preliminary investigation carried out in Zamora, had determined the opening of the corresponding canonical procedure.
Training and prevention of abuse
Valera also highlighted the preventive work carried out in the diocese. According to his explanation, during his episcopate the training of those who regularly work with minors in educational, catechetical, and recreational settings has been intensified.
The prevention actions have been directed at priests, catechists, educators, and camp monitors, as part of the work of protecting minors and vulnerable persons that the diocese has been developing. Already in July 2025, when presenting the annual report of the Diocesan Office for the Protection of Minors, Valera had defined this issue as “priority” and defended an approach based on “maximum transparency, seriousness, and commitment”.