Church accused of vaccine cheat

THE bishop of Cartagena José Manuel Lorca Planes and four other leading Catholic Church officials in Murcia have been accused of jumping the queue to receive Covid-19 vaccines.

Spanish newspaper La Opinión de Murcia reported they passed themselves off as chaplains of a care home in order to receive a shot.

Accusations of cheating by politicians and public officials to obtain protection against the virus have become a major scandal across the country in the early stages of the vaccination programme.

The paper reported an investigation has been launched into whether the five should face criminal charges.