RABAT, Morocco — A Catholic cardinal once considered a leading contender to succeed Pope Francis has stepped aside from his duties after five women accused him of sexual assault, prompting the Vatican to open a preliminary investigation.
Spanish-born Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero, 74, the Archbishop of Rabat, announced on Tuesday that he would temporarily withdraw from public religious celebrations and pastoral activities while the Church investigates the allegations. “I have committed neither assault, nor violence, nor sexual harassment,” Lopez Romero said in a written reply to AFP, while acknowledging that he had been “accused of inappropriate behaviour towards adult women.”
The allegations, uncovered by an AFP investigation, span a period between 2009 and 2024 and are said to have occurred in Morocco as well as in other countries where the cardinal served, including Paraguay, Bolivia, and Spain.
One woman, whose written testimony was seen by AFP, accused the cardinal of “particularly insistent and prolonged hugs” and “an attempt at physical intimacy that could be likened to an attempt” to kiss her, which she said she “barely managed” to avoid. The complaint was sent to the Vatican’s apostolic nunciature in Rabat in May.
A source within the archdiocese told AFP that at least five accounts describing similar incidents had been brought to their attention, with three other women reportedly saying they had been victims of similar acts. The source condemned “a culture of complicity and silence” among those around the cardinal, accusing them of helping to protect him.
Lopez Romero, known as a jovial “street priest” who worked with the poor, became a leader of the Salesian order in South America before his appointment as Archbishop of Rabat by Pope Francis in 2017. He was made a cardinal two years later.
Following the death of Pope Francis in April 2025, Lopez Romero was hailed by some Vatican watchers as “a potential Successor of Peter” and a “compelling contender for the church’s top job” due to his “biography of bridge-building cultures and continents.” However, he withdrew from the conclave just days before the voting, saying he had “absolutely no ambition” to be pope, adding, “if I am elected, I will flee to Sicily.”
The cardinal’s deputy, Vicar General Marc Helfer, told AFP that no criminal complaints had yet been filed with Moroccan authorities. Moroccan judicial sources confirmed to EFE that no abuse complaints against the archbishop were on record in the country’s justice system.
Moroccan lawyer Nadia Debbache, a specialist in sexual violence, said the alleged acts could amount to “aggravated sexual harassment and aggravated sexual assault… the aggravating factor being the abuse of authority by their alleged perpetrator.” Under Moroccan law, failure to report a crime by a person in a position of authority could also be punishable.
In a statement, the archdiocese noted: “This situation has led the Church to open a preliminary investigation. This investigation is ongoing and is in the hands of the Roman authorities of the Church, with whom I am cooperating.” Lopez Romero also urged Catholics in Rabat to discuss the matter in parishes and to contact the diocese’s Abuse Prevention Service if they wished to come forward.
The Vatican’s Papal Nuncio, Alfred Xuereb, told AFP that “the presumption of innocence must be preserved… until the facts are established by the competent authorities.” The Holy See did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
