A RETIRED Argentine bishop seen as close to the Pope, and who worked as an adviser for management of Vatican property, today denied charges of sex abuse allegedly committed a decade ago.

Gustavo Oscar Zanchetta, 57, appeared behind closed doors in the court of Oran where he was bishop from his appointment by Pope Francis in 2013 until his resignation in 2017.

Oran is some 1,700km north of Buenos Aires.

A local judicial official told AFP that Zanchetta pleaded not guilty to charges of sex abuse brought in 2018 by at least two seminary students.

The court also heard the evidence of two complainants, one of whom claimed the bishop had made approaches towards him, and asked for “massages.”

The Vatican has said that at the time of Zanchetta’s resignation in 2017, there were no sex abuse claims against him.

The Catholic Church, which forbids priests from marrying, has been repeatedly rocked by child sex abuse scandals around the world over the last three decades. – AFP, February 22, 2022.