Argentinian bishop jailed for abuse after initially being defended by Pope

Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta sits in court (Javier Corbalan/AP)

An Argentinian court sentenced a Roman Catholic bishop to four and a half years in prison for sexual abuse of two former seminarians in a major blow to Pope Francis, who had defended Gustavo Zanchetta following initial allegations.

The prosecutors’ office in the northern province of Salta reported the conviction and sentence on its Twitter account and said he had been ordered arrested.