Peruvian cardinal pushes back against critics as accused priest seeks laicization
July 17, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: Father Nilton Zárate Rengifo, a priest of the Archdiocese of Lima, sought laicization amid controversy over Cardinal Carlos Castillo’s handling of allegations against him.
The priest was “accused of harassing a religious sister, solicitation in the confessional, and attempted absolution of an accomplice in a sexual sin, but had not been subject to a formal canonical process,” The Pillar reported.
Cardinal Castillo pushed back against critics: he claimed he “had received the Pope’s ratification as Archbishop of Lima for five years, at least until I turn 80,” and added, “There is always a group of killjoys, the Pharisees... These days we have had a lot of gossip and lies,”
Cardinal Castillo is coauthor of a recent book calling for a “post-clerical” Church.
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