L.A. Bishop Resigns after Admitting He Fathered 2 Kids
Ktla News
[with video] LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- An assistant bishop with the archdiocese of Los Angeles has stepped down from his position in the Catholic Church after admitting he fathered two children. Pope Benedict has accepted the resignation of 60-year-old Gabino Zavala, who was an auxiliary bishop for the San Gabriel region, the Vatican confirmed Wednesday. Church law allows bishops to apply for early retirement before the age of 75 for medical reasons, or if they are otherwise unfit to carry out their jobs. Zavala's direct supervisor was Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez. He prepared a letter to the faithful in the archdiocese, dated Jan. 4, explaining the circumstances around Zavala's departure. In the letter, Gomez says he has some "sad and difficult information" to share. He explains that Zavala told him in early December that he was the father of two teenage children. They now live out of state with their mother. "Bishop Zavala also told me that he submitted his resignation to the Holy Father in Rome, which was accepted, Gomez says in the letter. "Since that time, he has not been in ministry and will be living privately." Gomez also states that, "The Archdiocese has reached out to the mother and children to provide spiritual care as well as funding to assist the children with college costs." Roman Catholic priests are required to be celibate. The identities of the mother and children have not been released. Zavala is as a co-director of the board of directors of Interfaith Worker Justice on the organization's website. He is also an adjunct professor of Canon Law and Pastoral Theology in graduate programs at Loyola Marymount University. Zavala's resignation is the latest in a series of scandals for the archdiocese of Los Angeles. In 2007, it paid a $660 million settlement for sexual abuse cases dating back to the 1940s.
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