Full text: Letter regarding Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Salazar’s retirement

On Dec. 19, 2018, the Holy See announced that Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Salazar. Archbishop José H. Gomez issued the following letter to the faithful of Los Angeles.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today, the Holy Father Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Salazar, who most recently served as vicar for the Office of Ethnic Ministries of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Bishop Alexander Salazar

I regret to inform you that in 2005, a year after he had been ordained a bishop, the archdiocese was made aware of an allegation against Bishop Salazar of misconduct with a minor. Although the allegation was never directly reported to the archdiocese, it was investigated by law enforcement in 2002 and the District Attorney did not prosecute.

The accusation against Bishop Salazar stemmed from alleged misconduct that was said to have occurred in the 1990s, before he was ordained a bishop, when he was serving as a parish priest. Since he was a bishop at the time the allegation was received, the archdiocese referred the matter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Holy See, which conducted an investigation and imposed certain precautionary measures on the ministry of Bishop Salazar.

Since the allegation was first brought forward, Bishop Salazar has consistently denied any wrongdoing. In the interest of due process, I requested and received permission from the Congregation for Bishops at the Holy See to submit the allegation to the archdiocese’s independent Clergy Misconduct Oversight Board. The Board found the allegation to be credible and I submitted its findings and recommendations along with my own votum to the Holy See to make its final determination as to Bishop Salazar’s status.

I am grateful for the Holy Father’s loving concern for the family of God here in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. These decisions have been made out of deep concern for the healing and reconciliation of abuse victims and for the good of the church’s mission.

Let us continue to stay close to the victim-survivors of abuse, through our prayer and our actions.

May we find hope in Jesus Christ, may the Blessed Virgin Mary be a mother to us all, and may God grant us peace.

Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles