André Kosters / Lusa
Bishop Carlos Azevedo
Natural Bishop of Porto was accused by a Father of Sexual Harassment in 2010. Portuguese Episcopal Conference confirms recent disciplinary process, but does not reveal reasons. Carlos Azevedo has not been seen at public events.
The Portuguese Bishop Carlos Azevedo It is being the subject of a disciplinary process instituted by the Vatican.
The news is advanced by and the existence of the process, instituted before Easter, was confirmed to the same television by the Portuguese Episcopal Conference. However, the entity was not available to advance the reason for the canon process.
It was due to the process that the bishop, since 2011 in Rome, did not participate in the eascal celebrations in Porto, its diocese of origin. Since then, It was not seen in any public act in the Italian capitalwhich was recently stage of great events within the Catholic Church – the funeral of Pope Francis, the conclave and the consequent election of the new Pope, Leo XIV.
“The Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP) was aware of the existence of a disciplinary proceedings relative to the bishop in question, whose legal competence is exclusive to the Holy See, given that the bishop in question is part of an organism of the Roman Curia,” reads the CEP statement sent to RTP, which does not answer more questions.
Carlos Azevedo has been since 2022 Delegate of the Pontifical Committee for the Historical Sciences. Held prominent positions in the Catholic Church, but his name is not exempt from controversy.
Retreating to 2010, Saturday launched an edition with a cover dedicated to itself: “The Secret of the Bishop” and “The Fall of an Angel”, read in the magazine where Complaints of Sexual Harassment In the church, presented against the bishop, were exploited, accusations that the bishop denied.
“Rounding on matters of 30 years for merely sensationalism to destroy people,” he said at the time.
It was the Father José Nunohospital chaplain and figure respected in the diocese of Porto, the alleged victim and author of the complaint against Bishop Carlos Azevedo.
O Case dates back to the 80swhen José Nuno was still a seminarian. During a camp of the Oasis movement, he was the target of alleged sexual harassment by the bishop, revealed the magazine in 2013. In the 1990s, already ordained a priest, Nuno reports a similar second situation, which led him to cut relations with the bishop. The last occurrence will take place in 2009 in Lisbon, in a context of frequent meetings between them due to ordinary ecclesial responsibilities.
José Nuno remained silent for years, but the conviction that there were more victims will have taken the priest AA to denounce the facts to the apostolic nuncio, Rino Passigato, in 2010.
In 2013, the Vatican denied that a process was filed disciplinary due to suspicions of harassment.
In 2019, a book entitled “In the Vatican Cabinet” assured that the Bishop, near Benedict XVI, hid his homosexualitywhich compromised his career in the church: he was abandoned by his friends, repudiated by the nuncio and abandoned by Cardinal Policarpo, “because supporting him would be at risk of being, in turn, pointed to finger,” said author Frédéric Martel, who will have spoken with the bishop for the elaboration of those 700 pages.
