Vatican disciplines retired Peru archbishop over abuse allegations

By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A retired archbishop who for decades was Peru's leading Catholic cleric has been disciplined following allegations of sexual abuse, the Vatican has said, confirming press reports.

Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne denies the accusations.

Cipriani, the Catholic archbishop of Lima from 1999-2019, is subject to restrictions "relating to his public activity, place of residence and use of insignia", Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican's press office, said on Sunday.

Bruni said the sanctions were imposed on Cipriani in 2019 "as a result of allegations against him", but did not provide details. He said the cardinal had accepted them.

Cipriani, 81, is a member of Opus Dei, a Catholic religious community with members in some 70 countries that is known for traditionalist views.

"I haven't committed any crime, nor have I sexually abused anyone," Cipriani said in a letter provided by the Rome office of Opus Dei on Monday.

The cardinal said the Vatican had asked him to live outside of Peru, and he had been living in Rome and Madrid.

Last week, Pope Francis addressed another Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Peru.

The pope dissolved the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a Catholic religious community based in Peru with members across South America and the United States, following years of investigations into alleged sexual and psychological abuse by the group's founder and others.

Spain's El Pais newspaper first reported on the allegations against Cipriani on Saturday.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; editing by Alvise Armellini and Kevin Liffey)