Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano of the Diocese of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, who was dismissed from post, pictured after interview in Rome. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

After a Vatican investigation, Pope Francis removed a Paraguayan bishop from his post as head of the Diocese of Ciudad del Este because of “serious pastoral reasons.” But the bishop shot back later the same day, charging in an open letter that he was the victim of an ideological campaign by Paraguayan bishops in league with Vatican officials. Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano, 69, was told to step down as head of the diocese, effective Sept. 25. Bishop Ricardo Valenzuela Rios of Villarrica del Espiritu Santo will temporarily administer the diocese. A Vatican statement said the “onerous decision” to dismiss Bishop Livieres was made after a “careful examination” of the findings of a Vatican investigation conducted by the congregations for bishops and for clergy. In the exercise of his ministry protecting unity among bishops and the faithful, according to the statement, Pope Francis “asks the clergy and all the people of God” in the diocese to accept the decision “with a spirit of obedience, docility and a neutral attitude.”

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
David Cruz-Uribe
10 years 6 months ago
An interesting action on the part of the Pope. I wonder who will be next. For a wrap up of reactions around the blogosphere, see my blog post: http://vox-nova.com/2014/10/03/there-is-a-new-sheriff-in-town/

The latest from america

Pope Francis greets Professor Joseph Stiglitz at the "Debt Crisis in the Global South" meeting at the Vatican in June 2024 (Vatican Media)
An interview on economics and Catholic social teaching with Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winning economist and a professor at Columbia University.
Kevin ClarkeApril 03, 2025
Lesson one: I had to buy more stamps.
Valerie SchultzApril 03, 2025
Celebrating the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea should give new energy to evangelization efforts, a new document from the International Theological Commission says.
In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell walk us through the pontiff’s recovery, including “slight improvements” in his speech.
Inside the VaticanApril 03, 2025