The Pope has appointed the Spanish priest Mario León Dorado as coadjutor archbishop of Rabat, after the incumbent of the Moroccan diocese, the Spanish cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, stepped aside from his duties as he is being investigated by the Vatican for alleged sexual abuse of adult women.
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The Holy See announced the appointment on Saturday in a statement reviewing León Dorado’s career, but without making any reference to López Romero.
According to the Code of Canon Law, this appointment grants León Dorado the automatic right to succeed at the head of the archdiocese when the see officially becomes vacant.
Canon law provides for different figures to assist in the governance of a diocese. While the auxiliary bishop is appointed to help the diocesan bishop in pastoral needs, the coadjutor, in addition to the powers he may receive, has the right of succession. Therefore, León Dorado will succeed López Romero as soon as the see officially becomes vacant.
The Code states that, “if it seems more appropriate to the Holy See,” it may appoint “on its own initiative” a coadjutor bishop, “also endowed with special faculties.”
Born in Madrid in 1974 and belonging to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (O.M.I.), León Dorado has served since 2013 as apostolic prefect of Western Sahara and since last August has assumed the apostolic administration of Rabat.
The Vatican’s decision comes amid the crisis opened by the preliminary investigation against López Romero, archbishop of Rabat since 2017 and created cardinal in 2019. According to the prelate himself, when announcing his temporary withdrawal in July, he is being investigated for alleged inappropriate behavior and sexual assaults reported by at least five adult women.
López Romero, a native of Vélez-Rubio (Almería), then announced that he was voluntarily stepping aside from all his public and pastoral functions so as “not to hinder” the Vatican’s investigations. The cardinal has denied the accusations and has assured that he is actively cooperating with the investigation.
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