Argentine court denies Bishop Zanchetta’s appeal
February 06, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: An Argentine court has rejected an appeal by Bishop Gustavo Oscar Zanchetta, who was convicted in 2022 of sexual abuse of seminarians.
After being sentenced to a prison term of four and half years, Bishop Zanchetta was allowed to live under house arrest in Argentina. But in November 2024 he received court permission to travel to Rome for medical treatment, and remains there. Despite his conviction he remains a bishop in good standing.
Bishop Zanchetta resigned his post in the Oran diocese in 2017, citing health reasons. He was brought to Rome by Pope Francis, who created a new position in the Roman Curia for him. He eventually returned to Argentina to face criminal charges, but his case—and the Vatican’s readiness to shelter him—causes a major scandal. (See the exclusive 7-part report from CWN.)
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Posted by: feedback -
Feb. 07, 2025 7:36 AM ET USA
The most appalling part of this story is the extraordinary support of Pope Francis for a bishop who was first accused and then convicted for homosexual abuse of seminarians. At this point, neither Francis nor his apologists could say that they didn't know about Zanchetta. This is even worse than the Rupnik situation.
