#EU #Spain – Pope Leo XIV decreed the dismissal of Francisco José Vegara Cerezo from the clerical state after the Spanish priest persisted in public acts of schism, Church officials announced this week.
The decision, issued by the pontiff on April 30, 2026, and communicated to Vegara Cerezo on June 20, followed a lengthy canonical process initiated in 2023. The priest, who served in the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante, repeatedly rejected the authority of Pope Francis and later Pope Leo XIV himself.
Vegara Cerezo first drew scrutiny after publishing a 20-page manifesto in which he labeled Pope Francis a “heretic” and questioned the validity of his election. He also publicly criticized key papal documents, including the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia and the declaration Fiducia Supplicans.
His local bishop, José Ignacio Munilla, removed him from all offices and positions in the diocese in 2024. Munilla issued formal admonitions in February 2024 and April 2025, urging the priest to abandon his public stance. In September 2025, the bishop prohibited Vegara Cerezo from making further statements in the media. The priest appealed that measure to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy.
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith later demanded a retraction of his schismatic positions. When Vegara Cerezo failed to provide a satisfactory response, Pope Leo XIV approved his dismissal from the clerical state.
In a statement issued on June 25, 2026, the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante confirmed the Vatican’s decision. Bishop Munilla asked the faithful to pray for the former priest and recalled Pope Leo XIV’s recent appeal for unity during a meeting with Spanish bishops, priests, and religious in the Canary Islands.
Canon 751 of the Code of Canon Law defines schism as “the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him.” While schism typically incurs excommunication, the Vatican in this case imposed the penalty of dismissal from the clerical state.
Image: Francisco José Vegara Cerezo seen with his manifesto while still a cleric.
