Pope accepts resignation of bishop accused of misconduct

Pope Leo XIV today accepted the resignation of Bishop Ciro Quispe López, 51, from the Territorial Prelature of Juli in southern Peru.

The official statement from the Vatican was brief, saying only that the Holy Father had accepted the bishop’s resignation. No further explanation was offered.

Bishop Quispe, originally from Cuzco, had served as prelate of Juli since 2018. His departure follows months of controversy surrounding accusations of serious sexual misconduct.

Allegations first surfaced publicly in 2023 when a former cook employed at the bishop’s residence went to the media with claims that Bishop Quispe regularly received women in his home.

She said she had been instructed to clean his bedroom after the visits and described discovering evidence of sexual activity, including women’s clothes, stained sheets, and used condoms. She claimed to have found used condoms on at least four separate occasions.

The woman alleged that Bishop Quispe had several sexual partners and named at least seven women, some of whom were in religious life. Her testimony was supported by the circulation of purported audio recordings and screenshots of video calls.

In one recording, the bishop can be heard addressing a woman as “mi gorda,” a Spanish term of endearment, and professing his love while promising to make time to meet her. A screenshot widely shared on social media appeared to show the bishop blowing a kiss during a video call.

In July 2024, the Apostolic Nunciature in Peru announced that the Holy See had appointed Bishop Marco Antonio Cortez Lara of Tacna y Moquegua as Apostolic Visitor to Juli. His task was to “verify in a precise manner the situation” following the allegations. The Vatican has never released the results of the Apostolic Visitation, but Bishop Quispe’s resignation is seen as a direct consequence of its findings.

Bishop Quispe denied all wrongdoing and maintained that he was the target of a smear campaign. In interviews given before he withdrew from public comment, he suggested that “dark hands” were behind the accusations.

Supporters of the bishop claimed that some of the reports were exaggerated or manipulated. The local news outlet Diario Sin Fronteras, which first published many of the allegations, later clarified that one photograph it had carried of a condom supposedly found in the bishop’s bedroom could not be verified. Nevertheless, the scandal grew as more testimonies and alleged digital evidence emerged.

Further controversy was stirred when accusations of financial misconduct were also levelled against the bishop.

Local reports alleged that he had used Church funds to open a luxury poultry business and that furniture from a diocesan hall had been moved to the shop. Company documents reportedly listed him as a partner under the description of “businessman by profession.” The bishop declined to comment on the claims.

The Territorial Prelature of Juli is a small jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in the Puno region of southern Peru, close to the Bolivian border. Though smaller than a diocese, a territorial prelature functions in a similar way, with the prelate exercising the full jurisdiction of a bishop.

At 51, Bishop Quispe is far younger than the usual retirement age of 75 for bishops. It also marks one of the youngest episcopal resignations in recent years.

(Photo by MARIA GRAZIA PICCIARELLA/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

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