Vatican halts process to declare old episcopal colleague of Francis a saint. He is accused of covering up abuse.

The Vatican halted the process it had initiated to declare Bishop Jorge Novak a saint

A cause dear to the heart of Pope Francis

He ordained the notorious Bishop Zanchetta in 1991 and died in 2001.  How much he knew of Zanchetta's issues is not known.   Another case is being referred to, by the look of it.

The decision was made by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, after noting that the prelate, who died in 2001, did not undergo a canonical procedure due to “the conduct of a priest of the diocese.”

In an unusual decision, the Vatican closed the beatification process of Monsignor Jorge Novak, the remembered Bishop of Quilmes and one of the Church figures identified with the defense of human rights during the military dictatorship, noting that he did not undergo a canonical procedure due to “The conduct of a priest of the diocese.”

This was ordered by Cardinal Marcelo Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, who communicated the measure to the current Bishop of Quilmes, Monsignor Carlos José Tissera, and to the Provincial Superior of the Society of the Divine Word, Father Jerzy Faliszek, who spearheaded the process initiated in December 2017 with the aim of having the bishop declared a saint.

The Holy See's statement indicates that the cessation of the cause for beatification was ordered “without expressing any moral judgment on the life, virtues, and pastoral work of the Servant of God.”

No reference was made to the case that prompted the Vatican dicastery's decision, nor were any details released about the priest regarding whom Novak did not initiate the canonical process.

'It is now well known that the trial was halted due to the cover-up of an Argentine priest accused of sexual abuse who allegedly deliberately infected young people with HIV & other cover-ups directly involving the then Cardinal Bergoglio.' Any Francis fans left should pack it in https://t.co/7323HNPgAo

— Catholic Conclave (@cathconclave) April 9, 2026

Cardinal Semeraro's decision implies the withdrawal of the nihil obstat, the license that constitutes the indispensable endorsement of the Holy See to advance the investigation into the life and virtues of the candidate for sainthood.

The interruption of beatification causes is not the usual procedure for sainthood processes that reach Rome, so the decision came as a surprise in the diocese and the religious congregation to which the bishop belonged. A recent case that led to the suspension of the process was that of Father Joseph Kentenich, founder of the Schoenstatt Movement, in Germany, which was halted in 2022.

Cardinal Semeraro stated that “Monsignor Novak retains his status as Servant of God,” the step prior to beatification.

“The Diocese of Quilmes and the Society of the Divine Word—both co-participants in the canonical cause initiated on December 11, 2017—share this statement with sorrow, trusting that God, in his immense goodness, will grant our beloved and remembered Bishop Jorge Novak eternal life, even if he is not included in the canonical book of the blessed/saints officially proclaimed by the Church,” Bishop Tissera and Father Faliszek expressed in a statement.

Austerity and commitment

Born in 1928 in San Miguel Arcángel, a small rural town in Buenos Aires province, Novak was educated in the Society of the Divine Word, where he was ordained a priest in 1954. He was the first bishop of Quilmes—a diocese created by Paul VI—from August 1976 until July 9, 2001, when he died at the age of 73 from a stomach ailment caused by a tumor.

He pursued higher studies at the Gregorian University in Rome and served as rector of the seminary and provincial superior of the Society of the Divine Word, in addition to presiding over the Argentine Conference of Religious.

He was recognized for his commitment to the poor and his austere life, and was one of the founders of the Ecumenical Movement for Human Rights. Along with Bishops Jaime de Nevares and Miguel Hesayne, he denounced human rights violations during the military dictatorship. He even stood out as a critical voice against the actions of the episcopal hierarchy during the military dictatorship.

Various voices within the Church agree that, far from being complacent with the organizations that sowed terror as a political tool, Novak condemned all manifestations and expressions of violence and preached the cause of peace. In January 1989, he rejected the attack on the La Tablada military barracks. Sobriety, rigor, and austerity were hallmarks of his personality.

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