Peruvian bishop steps back from conference role to address abuse allegations

The complainant reportedly sent a solicitor’s letter in November 2024 to the apostolic nuncio in Lima and to the Dicastery for Bishops, then headed by Cardinal Robert Prevost.

The secretary general of the Peruvian bishops’ conference requested leave of absence from his post to respond to abuse allegations in his diocese.

Bishop Antonio Santarsiero Rosa OSI of Huacho was accused of sexual and psychological abuse against a young vulnerable seminarian and a priest in the diocese, which is around 90 miles north of Lima.

The Spanish website Infovaticana published the allegations, which were confirmed in a statement on 9 April from the conference president Bishop Carlos Enrique García Camader of Lurín.

It said Santarsiero had requested leave of absence “as an act of responsibility with the institution and to devote himself to revealing the truth”. 

According to the Infovaticana report, the priest in question sent a solicitor’s letter in November 2024 to the apostolic nuncio in Lima and to the Dicastery for Bishops, then headed by Cardinal Robert Prevost, and personally delivered the complaint to the Pope’s office in December 2025, but has so far received no reply.

Santarsiero is alleged to have sexually abused a vulnerable young man who was a student in Huacho’s junior seminary over a number of years, starting when he was a minor. The priest alleges that while he was his personal assistant the bishop subjected him to unwanted caresses and put him under psychological pressure, including claiming that he was a homosexual.

The bishop told Infovaticana that he has not received the complaint and asked it to send him a copy. He vigorously denies the accusations.

The vicar general of the Diocese of Huacho published a statement on behalf of the clergy saying that Santarsiero always acted correctly and with commitment to his role, and that from having worked with him they are confident the allegations are untrue.

According to Peruvian news outlets, Sr Noelí Ríos, head of the bishops’ conference Listening Centre which invites victims of abuse to submit reports, commented that not all dioceses in Peru have adequate mechanisms for dealing with complaints.

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