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As Pope Leo XIV faces scrutiny, victims of abusive Catholic group say he helped when others didn’t
- Pope Leo XIV faces renewed scrutiny over his handling of clergy sexual abuse linked to the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, dissolved in April 2025 by Pope Francis following a Vatican investigation.
- The investigation was triggered by a 2022 meeting organized partly through Robert Prevost, then bishop in Peru, who began meeting with Sodalitium abuse victims in 2018 when few others acted.
- Founded in 1971 by Peruvian layman Luis Fernando Figari, the Sodalitium was a conservative Catholic group that grew to about 1,000 core members and faced decades of allegations of spiritual, physical, and sexual abuse.
- Prevost, appointed bishop of Chiclayo in 2014, responded by removing priests from ministry, involving Vatican sex crimes officials, aiding victims, and helping arrange $6.5 million in reparations, though a 2022 abuse case was archived due to time elapsed.
- Though victims defend Prevost’s efforts, he faces a defamation campaign from Sodalitium supporters accusing him of cover-ups, highlighting ongoing tensions as victims call for accountability from Pope Leo XIV and the Church.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Champion of Justice or Target of Blame? Pope Leo XIV's Complex Legacy
Champion of Justice or Target of Blame? Pope Leo XIV's Complex Legacy As scrutiny mounts over Pope Leo XIV's handling of clergy sexual abuse cases, unexpected allies have emerged in his defense—the victims of a powerful Catholic movement he helped dismantle.The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, dissolved by Pope Francis this year following a Vatican investigation, faced allegations of spiritual, physical, and sexual abuses by its leaders. Victims ap…
Associated Press News
As Pope Leo XIV faces scrutiny, victims of abusive Catholic group say he helped when others didn't
Pope Leo XIV's record handling sex abuse cases while he was an Augustinian superior and bishop in Peru has come under renewed scrutiny since his election May 8.
Commentary: Even the pope can be a victim of misinformation
As soon as Cardinal Dominique Mamberti stepped onto the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica and declared, “I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope!” the just-elected Pope Leo XIV of Chicago was bathed in both joyous surprise and rank misinformation. His past and present were mangled and fabricated online. You could even find what claimed to be a New York Times story about his being a founding ...
“As a Christian You Would Expect that Someone Who Knows What He Has Done Would Not Continue to Deny it.”
How do you prevent victims from getting caught up in church procedures when they report injustice in the church? A conversation between lawyer Bart Bouter and expert by experience Egbert Juffer.
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