Vatican suspends ordinations in Paraguay diocese after accusations of sexual misconduct

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
7/30/2014 (3 years ago)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)

Following allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of a priest, the Vatican has suspended ordinations at a Paraguay archdiocese pending an investigation. A priest at the Diocese of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay had been previously deemed a "serious threat to young people." All priestly ordinations there have been suspended there indefinitely.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - No public announcement has been made about the reason for the action, following an investigation of the diocese led by Cardinal Santos Abril y Castello. Pope Francis will need to personally resolve the issues there before further ordinations may proceed.

A priest serving there, accused of sexual abuse while serving in the U.S. had been serving as vicar general in Ciudad del Este. That report brought to a head tensions between the diocesan leader, Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano, and other bishops in Paraguay, and complaints from lay activists about alleged irregularities in diocesan affairs.

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The accused priest, Father Carlos Urrotigoity -- who is identified by the Scranton, Pennsylvania diocese as a "serious threat to young people" was reportedly removed from his post as vicar general earlier this month at the request of the apostolic nuncio in Paraguay, Archbishop Eliseo Ariotti.

Bishop Livieres has defended Father Urrotigoity in the past, saying that the charges against him are unproven.

Furthermore, defenders of Bishop Livieres have argued that the complaints against him have been fueled by liberal ideology. Bishop Livieres, they argue, is a harsh critic of liberation theology and a strong supporter of the traditional liturgy. He has also led a strong revival of the faith in the Ciudad del Este diocese, pointing to increases in the numbers of priests, church weddings and baptisms.

Cardinal Abril y Castello arrived in Paraguay to begin his investigation last week. He met with Bishop Livieres the following day. The busy schedule of the trip took a toll on the Spanish cardinal, and he was briefly hospitalized after fainting on July 24.

His condition was not deemed serious, and he resumed his duties promptly, finishing his week-long visit. Cardinal Abril y Castello, the archpriest of the Roman basilica of St. Mary Major, and was recently appointed by Pope Francis to chair the commission of cardinals supervising the Vatican bank, was joined in the investigation by Bishop Milton Troccoli, the auxiliary bishop of Montevideo, Uruguay.

Cardinal Abril y Castello urged the faithful in Paraguay to respect the Vatican's decision and await further announcements.

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