Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero Steps Aside from Rabat Role Pending Assault Allegation Review

Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero announced July 7, 2026, that he was stepping back from his role as Archbishop of Rabat in Morocco after an AFP investigation identified at least five women who accused him of sexual assault. " One woman filed a written complaint in May 2026 with the Vatican embassy in Morocco describing "particularly insistent and prolonged hugs" and an attempt at physical intimacy she said she "barely managed" to avoid.

A church source in the archdiocese said at least five similar accounts had reached its attention.

The same source said associates had reported similar behavior during his time as a missionary in South America. Lopez had worked in Paraguay, Bolivia and Spain and later led the Salesian order in those countries. Vicar General Marc Helfer told AFP the church's internal bodies should complete their review before further action.

"We do not know whether (the reported acts) really amount to sexual assault," Helfer said. " He had questioned Lopez's continued tenure in an October document sent to Papal Nuncio Alfred Xuereb. A second alleged victim complained last month to Xuereb that Lopez had sexually assaulted her several times.

Xuereb told AFP that "the presumption of innocence must be preserved... " No criminal complaints have been filed in Morocco. Lopez had been viewed by some Vatican watchers as a possible successor to Pope Francis, who died in April 2025.

He withdrew from the conclave four days before voting, saying he had "absolutely no ambition" to be pope and would "flee to Sicily" if elected. He had recently requested appointment of a successor ahead of his mandatory retirement at age 75 in 2027, which Nuncio Xuereb described as "normal practice" given his age.