A shocking sex and corruption scandal has rocked the Peruvian Catholic Church after The Times UK revealed that Bishop Ciro Quispe López, 51, of Juli, Peru, has resigned following allegations that he maintained relationships with as many as 17 mistresses, including a nun and a lawyer. The scandal unfolded when several of the women discovered they were romantically involved with the same man — and nearly came to blows.
According to Peruvian journalist Paola Ugaz, who reviewed the Vatican’s internal investigation report, “It was a real soap opera but also lifted the lid on a serious abuse of power.” Ugaz said many of the women were initially too frightened to come forward, fearing the bishop’s influence. The Vatican launched its inquiry after journalist Kevin Moncada of Sin Fronteras published an exposé in April last year, triggered by reports that two of the bishop’s lovers had physically fought over him.
The investigation uncovered audio messages, photographs, and videos sent by Quispe to his lovers — some of which he accidentally forwarded to his cleaning lady. The housekeeper later testified that she discovered women’s hair in his shower and “stained sheets” in his residence, prompting her to report the matter to Church authorities.
Despite mounting evidence, Bishop Quispe has denied all allegations, dismissing the claims as a defamation campaign by “dark hands.” However, Infobae, a Peruvian news outlet, reported that he admitted in a message to having sex inside his official residence — a direct violation of his vows.
The Vatican’s investigation went beyond sexual misconduct, also examining financial irregularities. Quispe, who was appointed by Pope Francis in 2018, was accused of embezzling church funds and misappropriating United Nations money meant for indigenous Aymara communities. Ugaz said locals confronted him over the alleged misuse, and the bishop returned the funds only after they “threatened to lynch him.”
In a bizarre twist, investigators also looked into Quispe’s alleged involvement in a chicken restaurant chain called Patas Arriba — a Spanish phrase meaning “upside down” but literally translating as “legs in the air.” Reports claim he took church furniture to furnish one of the restaurants.
The resignation of Quispe was accepted by Pope Leo XIV, who spent two decades working in Peru and is well-acquainted with the country’s troubled clergy. The pontiff previously investigated cult-like sexual abuse within the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae order and publicly supported Ugaz in her reporting on the scandal.
“Pope Leo is well aware of what goes on in the Peruvian church,” Ugaz said. His acceptance of Quispe’s resignation, she added, marks another decisive moment in the Vatican’s struggle to confront corruption and abuse within its Latin American ranks.
The Quispe affair — described by The Times UK as “a scandal of lust, power, and hypocrisy” — has once again exposed the deep moral crisis facing parts of the Catholic Church in Peru.
