Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero, the Archbishop of Rabat and one of the most prominent figures in the Catholic Church in Africa, has announced he is stepping back from his duties after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. The Vatican has opened a formal investigation into the allegations, which were brought to light following an inquiry by the French news agency AFP.

At least five women have come forward with accounts of inappropriate behaviour by the 74-year-old Spanish cardinal, who has served as Archbishop of Rabat — the capital of Morocco — since 2018. One accuser, a retired woman active in the local Church who chose to remain anonymous, described repeated sexual assaults beginning in late 2024, saying she had reported the incidents to the archbishop's direct deputy, Vicar General Marc Helfer, and later in a formal letter to the apostolic nunciature, the Vatican's embassy in Morocco. A second woman sent her own written testimony to the same embassy in May, describing physical gestures she found inappropriate, including "particularly emphatic and prolonged embraces" and what she characterised as an attempted kiss from which she said she escaped "with difficulty." Three additional women reportedly gave similar accounts during confession, according to a source within the diocese.

Following the reports, Lopez Romero announced he would suspend all public celebrations and withdraw from pastoral activities for the duration of the investigation. He stated he would "cooperate fully" with the inquiry but firmly denied the accusations, saying he had "committed neither assault, violence, nor sexual harassment." No formal complaint has yet been filed with Moroccan judicial authorities.

The allegations carry particular weight given Lopez Romero's standing in the global Church. During the 2025 papal conclave held after the death of Pope Francis, he was widely mentioned as a potential successor to lead the Holy See in Rome.

The case is the latest in a series of sexual abuse scandals to shake the Catholic Church in Morocco. In November, a French priest was accused of assaulting migrants at a reception centre in Casablanca. The country's small but historically rooted Catholic community — a legacy of the French and Spanish protectorate era — now faces renewed scrutiny over how abuse allegations are handled within its institutions.