Most of his legacy however has been obscured due to a controversy in 1996: at the age of 80, he was forced to resign following an interview published in the Catholic magazine Ixthus, in which he was quoted as saying that Juan Diego was "a symbol, not a reality," and that his canonization would be the "recognition of a cult.
Most of his legacy was concealed due to a conflict in 1996: at age 80, he had to step down after an interview published in the Catholic magazine Ixthus where he described Juan Diego as "a symbol, not a reality," and that canonization would be seen as "the recognition of a cult."