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Scandal! Catholic Bishop Quits After Revealing He Has Two Kids
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Catholic scandal lite: the Pope has accepted the resignation of Los Angeles' auxiliary bishop Gabino Zavala after he revealed that he secretly fathered two teenage kids.
Zavala, 60, submitted his resignation citing canon code that allows bishops to step down early in case they have a medical condition or are unfit for office, according to the Associated Press. Having a few kids, of course, has been making Catholic priests unfit for duty since the 11th century, and the current Pope shows no signs of changing that tradition.
Here's the text of the letter from the Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez to worshipers posted on the Catholic News Service website:
I have some sad and difficult information to share with you. Bishop Gabino Zavala, auxiliary bishop for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, informed me in early December that he is the father of two minor teenage children, who live with their mother in another state.
Bishop Zavala also told me that he submitted his resignation to the Holy Father in Rome, which was accepted. Since that time, he has not been in ministry and will be living privately.
The archdiocese has reached out to the mother and children to provide spiritual care as well as funding to assist the children with college costs. The family's identity is not known to the public, and I wish to respect their right to privacy.
Zavala, 60, was born in Mexico, but he grew up in Los Angeles and began his ministry at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in East L.A. He was an advocate for worker and immigrant rights and against the death penalty.
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