Update US Catholic Bishop and Father of Two Children Resigns

The blogosphere is full of the news of the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, Gabino Zavala, after admitting he is the father of two teenage children.
Since the news was released yesterday, this is an update. 


There is an Interesting discussion in the comments section at Deacon Greg Kandra at Deacon's Bench, but I detect a certain smug spin in parts where the woman gets depicted as the usual stereotype of evil temptress, without any supporting facts.

As always., there is also a lot of speculation and mention of other clergy that have had children or affairs that may or may not be related to Bishop Zavala's situation.

A native of Guerrero, Mexico, Bishop Gabino Zavala aged 60, grew up in Los Angeles and attended St. John’s Seminary. He was ordained a priest in 1977 by Cardinal Timothy Manning and was assigned to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, in East Los Angeles. After graduating from Catholic University of America with a degree in Canon Law, he worked in the Tribunal and was named rector of St. John’s Seminary in 1992.

 Bp. Zavala was President of Pax Christi, the USA Chapter of the international “Peace” Movement.

In a letter to the Los Angeles church, Archbishop José Gomez wrote that Bishop Gomez “informed him in early December that he is the father of two minor teenage children, who live with their mother in another state.”

 

Since submitting his resignation to Pope Benedict shortly thereafter, Zavala “has not been in ministry and will be living privately,” the archbishop said.

Gomez added that the LA church will assist the teens with their college costs.

Ordained to assist Cardinal Roger Mahony at age 43 in 1994, the Mexican-born Zavala — until now the senior auxiliary of the nation’s largest diocese — had been in the final year of his three year term as Chair of Communications for the US bishops.

Reacting to the news, all one longtime friend of Zavala’s among the Angeleno crowd could say was, “I’m numb.”

The letter from Archbishop Gomez is at Rocco Palmo's link here.

Just the type of news we didn't want  to hear for the New Year.

Yet another argument against compulsory celibacy. Sad.

Also today, Pope Benedict XVI named Monsignor Cirilio Flores to eventually take over the San Diego diocese when Bishop Robert Brom retires.

In 2007, Brom oversaw a $198.1 million settlement with 144 people who said they were sexually abused by priests, at the time the second-largest abuse settlement since the scandal broke out in the United States in 2002.