Convicted bishop Gustavo Zanchetta is back in Orán, serving his 4-year sentence under house arrest. Victims denounce Church and judicial failures
Newsroom (06/06/2025 01:00 , Gaudium Press) Convicted former bishop Gustavo Zanchetta, who was appointed by Pope Francis, has returned to his former diocese and will continue serving his prison sentence under house arrest in a local convent, Argentine media reported Thursday.
One of Zanchetta’s victims, former seminarian Matías Montes, confirmed to local outlets that the disgraced prelate met with Bishop Luis Scozzina of Orán and is being housed in a monastery.
“Zanchetta is in Salta. He received the visit of the current Bishop of Orán—they’re preparing a room for him in the monastery. I saw it with my own eyes,” Montes said.
Zanchetta, convicted in 2022 of aggravated sexual abuse against seminarians, had been in Rome since November 2024 for cardiac treatment, which his lawyers claimed was unavailable in Argentina. He underwent surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis was also treated earlier this year.
An Argentine court had authorized Zanchetta’s travel on the condition that he return by April 1 to resume house arrest in a retired priests’ residence. However, his whereabouts became unclear after his hospital discharge, with the Diocese of Orán refusing to confirm if he had returned.
Montes, who testified against Zanchetta, expressed frustration over the judicial process, alleging the bishop is being favored.
“We know he’ll request early release… The judicial system did not do a good job. We have no confidence in them in Salta,” Montes said. “The Church is still close to the state—this will continue happening. We were totally abandoned.”
A Controversial Rise and Fall
Pope Francis appointed Zanchetta as Bishop of Orán in 2013, one of his first episcopal nominations. However, Zanchetta resigned abruptly in 2017 at age 53—22 years before the mandatory retirement age—initially citing health reasons.
By 2019, the Vatican admitted it had received sexual abuse allegations against him. Former vicar general Fr. Juan José Manzano revealed that claims of misconduct, including explicit messages to seminarians, had been reported as early as 2015.
Despite this, Francis later appointed Zanchetta to a Vatican financial role. After a canonical investigation was opened in 2019, Zanchetta briefly stepped aside but returned to work in 2020. He left the Vatican in 2021 ahead of his trial in Argentina, where he was convicted the following year.
Failed Appeal and Ongoing Controversy
In February, an appeals court upheld Zanchetta’s conviction after his lawyers argued his actions were misjudged due to “gender stereotyping” because of his homosexuality. The court rejected the claim, ruling that his conduct—including groping seminarians—was clearly abusive.
To date, the Vatican has not imposed canonical penalties on Zanchetta, despite his criminal conviction. His return to Orán under house arrest has reignited criticism from victims who say the Church and judiciary have failed to deliver justice.
Pope Francis had initiated the process that led to Cardinal McCarrick being stripped of his position and laicized. After credible allegations of sexual misconduct against minors emerged, McCarrick was removed from public ministry, resigned from the College of Cardinals, and ultimately dismissed from the clerical state in 2019.
The cases of Fr. Marko Rupnik and Bishop Zanchetta remain among the most pressing abuse matters facing Pope Leo XIV – issues he will need to resolve as a priority following his recent meeting with the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Pillar Catholic
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