Peru’s bishops face renewed scrutiny as Bishop Antonio Santarsiero steps down amid abuse allegations and a widening pattern of misconduct cases.
Newsroom (13/04/2026 Gaudium Press ) The Peruvian bishops’ conference announced on April 9 that its secretary general, Bishop Antonio Santarsiero OSJ, has temporarily stepped down while authorities investigate multiple allegations of sexual and psychological abuse made against him.
In a formal statement, the conference said it is “making every necessary effort to clarify the complaint, acting according to the established protocols and civil and canonical legislation in force.” Officials also urged any possible victims to reach out through the Church’s established “listening channels,” in line with Pope Francis’ 2019 decree Vos estis lux mundi, which mandates reporting systems for abuse allegations involving clergy.
Allegations Span Years and Multiple Victims
The allegations surfaced through InfoVaticana, a Spanish Catholic news site that reported on claims of abuse by the 74‑year‑old Italian-born Bishop of Huacho. The outlet said it obtained a notarized letter sent to the Apostolic Nunciature in Peru on March 31, detailing a series of alleged incidents involving both adult and underage victims.
One complainant—a layman from a rural town near Huacho—claimed that Santarsiero began abusing him while he was a minor in the diocese’s minor seminary. The reported abuse allegedly continued for years and included prolonged touching, coercion, and psychological manipulation. According to the complaint, the bishop offered educational and employment opportunities in exchange for silence.
Another priest, who once served as Santarsiero’s secretary, accused the bishop of “sexually explicit conduct,” emotional pressure, and retaliation after refusing advances. The priest said he had reported the allegations twice—first in November 2024 to Cardinal Robert Prevost, then prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, and again in December 2025 after Prevost’s election as pope—but never received a response.
Bishop Denies Allegations
When contacted by InfoVaticana, Santarsiero said he had not previously been informed of the accusations and therefore could not respond to them in detail. “I strongly deny the conduct attributed to me,” he said, insisting that the allegations “contradict my trajectory and principles as priest and bishop.”
The bishop’s temporary resignation marks another serious episode in a deepening crisis of credibility for the Peruvian episcopate, which has faced a steady stream of misconduct and cover-up allegations in recent years.
Broader Crisis Within the Peruvian Church
The Peruvian Church’s recent history has been marked by successive revelations involving bishops and senior clergy. In June 2025, The Pillar reported that the Archdiocese of Lima mishandled abuse allegations against Fr. Nilton Zárate Rengifo, accused of harassment, solicitation in the confessional, and attempting to absolve an accomplice in sexual sin. Despite the gravity of those claims, the priest was not subjected to a canonical process.
The archdiocese also faced criticism over its treatment of seminarians who reported misconduct by Fr. Luis Sarmiento, reinstated as seminary rector in 2020 despite earlier disciplinary removal. When new allegations surfaced, Cardinal Carlos Castillo, the Archbishop of Lima, dismissed the accusing seminarians instead of opening a canonical investigation.
In another high-profile case, El País revealed in January 2025 that Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, Castillo’s predecessor, had been under a Vatican-imposed penal precept since 2019, restricting his ministry following abuse accusations from the 1980s. Though Cipriani later claimed that Pope Francis verbally lifted the restrictions in 2020, Vatican records have not confirmed any such action.
A Pattern of Misconduct and Institutional Erosion
The crisis compounds further with the resignation of Bishop Ciro Quispe López of the Territorial Prelature of Juli in September 2025. An apostolic visitation reportedly uncovered corruption and moral misconduct, including alleged romantic relationships with nuns and novices, embezzlement of $25,000 from a UN-funded social project, and misuse of Church property for personal profit.
The repeated emergence of these scandals has left the Peruvian Church struggling to restore credibility and enforce accountability. Observers note that while the Church has worked to implement Pope Francis’ global safeguards, local enforcement remains uneven and heavily dependent on episcopal will.
The temporary stepping aside of Bishop Santarsiero adds another chapter to this turbulent narrative—one that continues to test the Peruvian Church’s commitment to transparency and reform under the scrutiny of both civil and canonical authorities.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from The Pillar
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