Peru confirms bishop defrocked for alleged pedophilia

LIMA – A Peruvian bishop has been defrocked over allegations of pedophilia in line with an order from Rome, the Peruvian Bishops Conference said Thursday.

This is the first time a bishop has been accused of abusing children in Peru.

The alleged offender is Gabino Miranda, until now the auxiliary bishop of Ayacucho in southeastern Peru. His whereabouts are unknown.

His punishment – being reduced to a layman – was first reported September 15 by another Peruvian bishop. Now it has been confirmed by the full blown bishops conference. It is the harshest punishment the Vatican can impose on a clergyman.

Pope Francis notified Peru in July via the Vatican’s embassy here that Miranda must be dismissed and stripped of his status as a clergyman, said Salvador Pineiro, president of the bishops conference.

Pineiro said he supported a government investigation under way into Miranda’s alleged pedophilia.

Pineiro is archbishop of Ayacucho and thus had worked with the alleged pedophile.

“In the two years I have been archbishop of Ayacucho, I have never received a complaint against him,” Pineiro said in a statement.

After news of the case first broke, Ayacucho prosecutor Gary Nunez began proceedings to have Peru’s foreign ministry ask the papal nuncio – the pope’s ambassador – for information so as to launch a probe of Miranda.