Bishop in Spain puts former vicar general on canonical trial over alleged irregularities

The bishop of Zamora, Fernando Valera, has brought canonical proceedings against Antonio Jesús Martín de Lera over alleged financial and administrative irregularities linked to the posts he held in the Church in Zamora, in northwestern Spain. Martín de Lera served for years as Valera's vicar general and as director of Caritas Zamora. The diocese confirmed the canonical penal case on October 20. It is being heard by the Tribunal of the Rota of the Apostolic Nunciature in Spain, a Church court based in Madrid. The collegiate tribunal was formally constituted on January 29, 2026.

The case began when the bishop learned of possible financial and administrative anomalies related to how Church duties had been carried out. Acting in accordance with canon law, Valera ordered a preliminary investigation. When that first stage ended, the evidence gathered was judged sufficient to move to a canonical trial, and the case followed the course set out in Church law until it reached the Rota of the Nunciature.

Investigation focuses on Caritas

The reports that brought the case to light were published first by the Spanish Catholic outlet Religión Digital and later confirmed by the diocese. They say the inquiry focuses in particular on Martín de Lera's time at the head of Caritas Zamora, the local branch of the Church's main charity in Spain. The same reports say the investigation uncovered large financial losses with no supporting documentation, leaving the organization on the verge of technical bankruptcy. The exact sums involved have not been made public. The diocesan statement does not go into the transactions examined or the responsibilities the tribunal will have to determine.

For years, Martín de Lera held considerable influence within the Church in Zamora. Besides serving as vicar general, one of the most senior posts in a diocese, he was president of Caritas Zamora and also headed Caritas Castilla y León, the charity's regional body. He left those positions gradually: first the leadership of Caritas, and then the office of vicar general.

In 2025 his relationship with the bishop turned into a public dispute over changes to the parishes assigned to him. The priest accused Valera of "abuse of power" and appealed to the Holy See, but the Dicastery for the Clergy later rejected the appeal.

Account of a clerical group

Infovaticana, another Spanish Catholic outlet, has also published the testimony of a priest from Zamora who speaks of a small but active group of clergy that he says tried to influence the running of the diocese over the bishop's authority. More than a few would assign a leading role in that group to the former vicar general, according to the same account. The source also says Valera did not give in to that pressure as some of his predecessors had, which in his account partly explains the current outcome.

Proceedings open with no ruling

The diocese said in its statement that the case remains open and that no final ruling has been issued on the matters under examination. It stressed its "full respect for the presumption of innocence" of the priest under investigation and for all the guarantees Church law affords him. The diocese also said it trusts the tribunal and will accept its ruling when the case ends.

While the proceedings remain open, the diocese will make no further statements on the substance of the case, "precisely out of respect for its course and for the rights of all parties," the official text says.