New Pope Leon XIV. NGOs criticize him for silence in the matter of sexual abuse in the Church

Two non -governmental organizations, documenting cases of sexual abuse in the Church and counteracting this procedure, criticized the new Pope Leon XIV for – as they say – insufficient reaction in this matter. It is about 2015-2023, when he managed the diocese of Chiclayo in the northern Peru.

SNAP (Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests – a network of survivors molested by priests) and Bishop Accountability (responsibility of bishops) published after the election of 69 -year -old cardinal Robert Prevost for a new Pope, in which they accused Leon of Leon XIV, there was Church.

According to Anne Barrett Doyle from the Bishop Accountability, Prevost, as the supervisor of the Augustinian Order and Bishop Chiclayo, “he did not publish any names of” clergy committing sexual violence.

“They claim that Bishop Prevost has not started investigating”

Under his leadership, no complicit bishop (these acts) was deprived of his title. The most disturbing are the allegations of victims from his former diocese in Peruwho claim that he never initiated canonical proceedings regarding the alleged sexual assault committed by two priests “0 emphasized Doyle.

In turn, Snap reported reports that at a time when Prevost was the bishop of Chiclayo, three victims of sexual violence turned to the diocese, but without result.

“The victims say that Bishop Prevost did not initiate investigations, sent incomplete information to Rome, and the diocese allowed (accused) a priest to continue to celebrate mass” – wrote the organization, cited by AFP.

Divided opinions on prevost's reaction to harassment

Criticism at Leon XIV also refers to the fact that as a provincial of Augustians in Chicago, he allowed the priest accused of harassment of minors to reside in the monastery of St. John Stone in this American city.

Bishop Edinson Farfan, the successor of Prevost in the diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, believes, however, that the later Pope “warned the procedures.” “He was the most sensitive member of the Peruvian Church,” assured the priest, quoted by the AFP agency, referring to allegations of covering up sexual abuse.

Also the chairman of the Peru Episcopal Conference, Bishop Carlos Garcia Camader, defended the new pope – especially in the context of the case of the organization of the Sodalic of Christian life (SCV), i.e. founded in 1971 in the Peru of the Catholic Association of Apostolic Life, in which, among others, sexual abuse occurred.

“Extremely important role” of the future pope

The condemnation of SCV by Prevosta was also positively assessed by the Bishop Accountability organization. One of the victims of SCV, cited by AFP, said that Leon XIV was one of five bishops who played “an extremely important role, (…), on behalf of the victims.”

A few weeks before death Pope Francis SCV dissolved after several years of investigation. According to Vatican News, about 36 people experienced violence, including 19 minors.

“We reject hiding and mystery because they cause a lot of harm, and we must help people who have suffered from reprehensible deeds,” said the future pope in an interview with the Peruvian newspaper “La Republica” in 2019.