Spanish Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, Archbishop of Rabat, Morroco, suspended himself from the position after a group of women accused him of having allegedly committed sexual assault, the Vatican announced on Wednesday through its official news agency.
Cardinal López Romero had been serving as Archbishop of the diocese of Rabat after the late Pope Francis appointed him to the position in 2018.
Earlier this week, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that a group of at least five women brought forward sexual assault accusations against the 74 year-old Spanish prelate, born in the Spanish municipality of Vélez-Rubio, Almería.
In a letter sent to the Vatican’s embassy in Morroco, one of the women reportedly accused the Archbishop of “particularly insistent and prolonged hugs” and “an attempt at physical intimacy that could be likened to an attempt” to kiss her, which she said she “barely managed” to avoid. López Romero denied the accusations in a written reply to AFP, and detailed that a preliminary investigation had been launched by the Catholic Church.
Vatican News, the Holy See’s official news portal, reports that Cardinal López Romero temporarily stepped down from his position as the investigation continues.
In a statement released by the Spanish prelate with the news agency on Wednesday, the Cardinal affirmed that the investigation into his inappropriate conduct is now “in the hands of the Roman Catholic Church,” pledging his full cooperation in the process. Lopez Romero said he will refrain from presiding over public celebration and will not participate in pastoral activities.
Spanish Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero attends the Eight Novemdiale mass, following the funeral of the pope and ahead of the conclave, at the St Peter’s Basilica in The Vatican, on May 3, 2025. (ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty)
López Romero briefly spoke with the Spanish newspaper El País on Thursday, and affirmed, “I have not committed any aggression, violence, or harassment of anyone.” Lopez Romero reportedly declined from explaining the exact nature of the accusations throughout his exchange of messages with the Spanish newspaper.
Per El País, Lopez Romero detailed that the complaints were lodged “two months ago” in Morocco, and not on Paraguay and Bolivia, two countries in which he had previously served as a missionary. Sources from the Rabat Archdiocese reportedly defended the prelate’s innocence and attributed the allegations to “misinterpreted situations” that in no case were an aggression or violent act.
The Archbishop is a member of the Order of the Salesians of Don Bosco. Unnamed sources from the Salesians Order in Rome asserted to El País that there is no record of any complaint or allegation against the Cardinal throughout his career. Similar remarks were shared by the Salesians Order’s branch in Spain, with a spokesperson of the order expressing their “bewilderment” at the news.
“We have no record of any prior complaints, either in Spain or from any of his previous postings,” the spokesperson reportedly said. “We were surprised to see the statement, as it is unusual for complaints to be filed against someone who is a cardinal.”
El País noted that the Salesians Order in Bolivia also affirmed that it never received accusations against Lopez Romero. In Paraguay, the Archdiocese of Asunion reportedly released a statement in which it expects “the full clarification of the facts.”
According to international outlets, Cardinal Lopez Romero had been touted as one of the “favorites” to replace Pope Francis after he passed away in 2025 prior to the election of Pope Leo XIV as the new head of the Catholic Church. Per Reuters, the Cardinal is reportedly considered to be a “relative progressive” within the Catholic Church’s hierarchy.
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