Vatican clears Puerto Rico bishop facing sex abuse accusations

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Vatican has found no basis for sexual abuse accusations made against a well-known Puerto Rico bishop.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which takes on such accusations, announced Friday that it had closed the case against Arecibo Bishop Daniel Fernandez.

Fernandez said in a statement that he was satisfied with the decision. He recently announced that he had defrocked six priests accused of sex abuse from his diocese and that the accusations against him were made in revenge.

The attorney for a man who had accused Fernandez of molesting him when he was a child rejected the decision. Attorney Agnes Poventud told El Nuevo Dia newspaper that Vatican officials never interviewed her client.

Poventud did not immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press for comment.