Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father Mario León Dorado as coadjutor archbishop of Rabat (Morocco), pending the outcome of an investigation into Archbishop Cristóbal López Romero, who stepped aside after sexual abuse allegations.
Archbishop Cristóbal López Romero © RMG
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father Mario León Dorado as coadjutor archbishop of Rabat (Morocco), pending the outcome of an investigation into Archbishop Cristóbal López Romero, who stepped aside after sexual abuse allegations revealed by AFP.
A coadjutor archbishop is appointed to assist a sitting archbishop and holds an automatic right of succession - meaning that when the incumbent retires or dies, the coadjutor immediately takes over leadership of the archdiocese.
The Vatican's statement, released Saturday, outlined the religious career of Father Dorado, a 52-year-old Spanish priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), who has served in Western Sahara for more than two decades.
On July 8, AFP revealed that at least five women were accusing López Romero, who had been considered among the leading candidates to succeed Pope Francis (2013-2025), of sexual violence and inappropriate behavior.
López Romero has denied the allegations, saying he "committed neither assault nor violence nor sexual harassment," and stepped aside pending the Vatican probe. No complaint has, at this stage, been filed with Moroccan judicial authorities.
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