- Feb 5, 2002
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Pope Leo XIV has decreed the dismissal from the clerical state of Francisco José Vegara Cerezo, who served as a priest of the Spanish Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante, following a canonical process that was initiated due to his repeated public rejection of the authority of Pope Francis and, subsequently, of Leo XIV himself.
The case dates back to 2023, when a dialoguewith Vegara Cerezo began following the publication of a 20-page manifesto (original Spanish version or translated English version) (in which he labeled Pope Francis a “heretic” and questioned the validity of his election.
The now laicized priest also criticized texts such as the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, by the late Argentine pontiff, and the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
In 2024, Vegara Cerezo’s obstinacy led his bishop, José Ignacio Munilla, to remove him from any office or position within the diocese.
Munilla admonished Vegara Cerezo in February 2024 and April 2025, urging him to alter the “stance expressed publicly and notoriously through various media outlets,” according to a statement issued by the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante on June 25, 2026.
Continued below.
www.complicitclergy.com
The case dates back to 2023, when a dialoguewith Vegara Cerezo began following the publication of a 20-page manifesto (original Spanish version or translated English version) (in which he labeled Pope Francis a “heretic” and questioned the validity of his election.
The now laicized priest also criticized texts such as the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, by the late Argentine pontiff, and the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
In 2024, Vegara Cerezo’s obstinacy led his bishop, José Ignacio Munilla, to remove him from any office or position within the diocese.
Munilla admonished Vegara Cerezo in February 2024 and April 2025, urging him to alter the “stance expressed publicly and notoriously through various media outlets,” according to a statement issued by the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante on June 25, 2026.
Continued below.
Leo Laicizes Priest Who Dared to Call Francis a ‘Heretic’
Pope Leo XIV has decreed the dismissal from the clerical state of Francisco José Vegara Cerezo, who served as a priest of the Spanish Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante, following a canonical process that was initiated due to his repeated public rejection of the authority of Pope Francis and...
www.complicitclergy.com
