Pope sacks Paraguay bishop who protected a paedpohile priest

Pope Francis sacked a Paraguayan bishop who had been accused of protecting a suspected paedophile priest on Thursday. In an official statement, the Vatican said the removal of Ciudad del Este bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano had been a “painful decision taken for serious pastoral reasons.” The decision to fire the conservative bishop follows a visit to Paraguay by a Vatican delegation charged with investigating a case that had led to a public war-of-words between the South American country’s senior clerics.

This grave decision of the Holy See was taken for serious pastoral reasons and was motivated by the greater good of unity in the church of Ciudad del Este and the episcopal communion in Paraguay.

Vaitican statement

The Argentinian-born pontiff has vowed zero tolerance against Roman Catholic clerics who sexually abuse minors after a series of scandals hit the Church in a number of countries around the world over many years. Last May, Francis called such abuse an “ugly crime” and likened it to “a Satanic mass”. Livieres Plano had defended both himself and the priest, saying the charges against them were unfounded. The dismissed bishop, a member of the conservative Roman Catholic group Opus Dei, had also become a polarizing figure in the Paraguayan Church and often clashed with more progressive clerics. The Vatican said Pope Francis had taken the “onerous decision” to remove Livieres Plano after careful examination of the results of the Vatican investigation. He has previously said bishops who covered up abuse would be held accountable.

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