New Delhi, Nov. 18 -- Pope Leo XIV could soon accept the resignation of an ailing Spanish bishop who is under church investigation for allegedly sexually abusing a young seminarian in the 1990s, the head of the Spanish Catholic bishops conference said Monday.

Archbishop Luis Javier Arguello Garcia told reporters in St. Peter's Square that the conference hierarchy had discussed the case with Leo during an audience Monday.

Arguello confirmed a report in El Pais newspaper that a canonical investigation into Cadiz Bishop Rafael Zornoza, 76, had been opened two weeks ago. It is believed to be the first publicly known church investigation of a Spanish bishop accused of abuse since the Spanish church began reckoning in recent years with a deca...