The priest's name is Rev. José Castro Cea. As a result, Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid recommended that the priest "take some time off". The plan was for Castro to fly to the United States.
But that is only the last part of the story.
Sometime around 2016/2017, Father Elías Royón SJ, Francis's Spanish informant, told Bergoglio that Cardinal Carlos Osoro of Madrid was no longer of sound mind and that the ecclesiastical foundations of the Archdiocese of Madrid could cause legal problems.
The Jesuit suggested that if Francis wanted to know more, he should consult a young priest from Madrid. This priest was José Castro Cea.
Using his notorious private detective methods, Francis had two telephone conversations with the priest: one lasting 24 minutes and the other 12.
Unsurprisingly, when Castro Cea celebrated his 25th anniversary as a priest, Francis, who doesn't have time for his cardinals, received him in the Vatican.
During one of his conversations with Francis, Castro Cea recommended to him that a certain Don José Cobo Cano would be the right man to lead the diocese of Madrid.
The two priests had been close friends for years, sharing similar heterodox views and living in the same building.
Soon after, in December 2017, Francis appointed Cobo Cano as auxiliary bishop of Madrid.
But this is not the end of the story.
InfoVaticana.com (11 November) reports that Rev. José Castro Cea continues to be in Madrid and that has made it clear to Cardinal Cobo that he has no intention of leaving his parish.
The blog asks the question: "What does Rev. Castro know about Cardinal Cobo to challenge him in this way?"
To the surprise of many, the two even met in public last week, chatting amicably at a vicariate meeting attended by Cardinal Cobo and Rev. Castro.
According to InfoVaticana.com, there is certainty among the priests of Madrid that Rev. Castro will do as he pleases unless Cardinal Cobo guarantees him a golden retirement.
It seems that Rev. Castro knows more than Cardinal Cobo would like him to know. "The silence you have to buy is not cheap", comments InfoVaticana.com.
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