(LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Antonio Santarsiero Rosa, general secretary of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference, faces formal accusations of sexually abusing a 15-year-old seminarian and a priest, a new report states.
According to a notarized letter dated March 26, 2026, obtained by InfoVaticana, representatives of alleged victims have filed an official complaint to the Apostolic Nunciature in Lima, Peru, against Santarsiero, accusing him of systemic sexual abuse. Santarsiero is the bishop of the diocese of Huacho and general secretary of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference.
The dossier containing the accusations has also been forwarded to Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The main accuser of the bishop is a young man and former seminarian, referred to by InfoVaticana as D., who is about 30 years old and comes from a rural area in the northeastern highlands of Peru. The alleged series of sexual abuse occurred after D. had entered the seminary in Huacho in December 2010, when he was 15 years old.
The complaint describes actions such as forced hugs, genital touching, and other explicit sexual advances. According to the testimony, Santarsiero used his position of authority to pressure the boy by promising scholarships and employment with diocesan companies if the boy complied. Santarsiero allegedly told D. repeatedly that “I am like a father to you” to try to gain his trust.
“I felt very uncomfortable. He would hold me by the waist, touch me (…) It was traumatizing,” D. said in his testimony. “I couldn’t understand how a person admired and revered by so many people could do those things.”
The complaint also features the testimony of a priest (Fr. B.), who currently resides outside Peru, who lived with the accused bishop for several months as a personal assistant. The priest described a similar pattern of behavior from the bishop as did D., including psychological manipulation, non-consensual touches, and progressive reprisal when he refused the bishop’s advances.
According to the priest’s testimony, Santarsiero repeatedly labeled him as a homosexual to control him and obstruct or delay his priestly ordination.
According to their representatives, the victims wish to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals from some in the ecclesial hierarchy.
Notably, Fr. B. claims to have sent a personal report regarding the abuse allegations to the then-prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, in November 2024. He also said he traveled to Rome in December 2025 to personally deliver the same report to the Pope’s office. Until this day, the Vatican has not responded publicly or privately to the accusations, the priest stated. Pope Leo would be well acquainted with the Church in Peru, as the Pontiff spent much time in the country as a missionary priest in the 1980s and 1990s, and later as the bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023.
“Our Pope Leo XIV states that it is important to listen to victims of sexual abuse,” Fr. B said. “I, humbly, ask His Holiness: when will the day come when he has to listen to me? How many more years must I wait?“
Santarsiero has responded to an inquiry by InfoVatican, stating the following: “I have received through your communication the news of the existence of a notarized letter, delivered on March 31, 2026, in which I am pointed out as the alleged author of serious conduct. I want to state that, up to this moment, I have not received said letter nor have I been officially notified of such an accusation. It is through you that I become aware of this document and of the accusations alleged against me.”
“I categorically deny the conduct attributed to me, the accusations of sexual abuse and psychological mistreatment that you indicate in your communication, since these totally contradict my trajectory and principles as a priest and bishop, in which I have always acted with rectitude, respect, and pastoral commitment,” he stated.
“I kindly request, if possible, that you send me a copy of the documentation of said notarized letter, so that I can take note and take legal action, if applicable,” the bishop of Huacho concluded.
The Vatican has not responded to the allegations yet.