Ciro Quispe López, 51, the bishop of Juli, stepped down following an investigation that revealed some of his alleged lovers had nearly come to blows upon discovering each other's involvement.
Paola Ugaz, a Peruvian journalist, described the situation as 'a real soap opera' in an interview with The Times.
She explained that a nun who was one of López's lovers became jealous of a lawyer he was also seeing, sending information about the bishop's affairs to a third woman, which resulted in a physical confrontation. Ugaz added that many of the 17 women were too frightened to come forward due to fear of López.
The scandal came to light after López reportedly sent photos and videos intended for his mistresses to his cleaning lady, who filed a complaint with the Catholic Church. The Vatican subsequently reviewed voice notes, photos, and videos linked to the bishop.
López has denied the allegations, claiming they are part of a defamation campaign orchestrated by 'dark hands.'
In addition to the sexual misconduct allegations, López was reportedly under investigation for embezzling church funds. He is said to have taken chairs from church property to furnish a chicken restaurant chain, Patas Arriba, in which he reportedly held a financial stake.
The Vatican accepted López's resignation early last month, more than 20 years before the mandatory retirement age of 75 for bishops.
IGIHE
