Takeaways From a Times Investigation of the Pope's Legacy on Sex Abuse
Sex abuse scandals have rocked the Catholic church for years, with priests around the world accused of victimizing children and others, and the institution criticized for a weak response.
As Pope Leo XIV becomes leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, his stance on abuse will play a central role in shaping the church's future as it tries to rebuild trust.
To better understand the direction he might take, a team of New York Times reporters examined Leo's handling of two sex abuse cases in Peru, while he was bishop in the small city of Chiclayo, from 2015 to 2023.
We found stark contrasts. In one case, Pope Leo — then called Bishop Robert Prevost — sided assertively with victims of sexual abuse. He clashed with powerful Catholic figures to seek justice for victims of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a cultlike Catholic movement that recruited children of elite families and used sexual and psychological abuse to control members.
In the other case, the pope is accused by victims and advocates of failing to adequately investigate claims by three women that they had been abused by priests as children.
The Times investigation found that while the pope was a bishop, at least two priests accused of abusing minors continued clergy work — sometimes with children — while under investigation. The reporting also found that a priest appointed by Bishop Prevost to counsel victims told them not to expect much accountability from the church because their abuse had not 'reached a situation of rape.'
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New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Takeaways From a Times Investigation of the Pope's Legacy on Sex Abuse
Sex abuse scandals have rocked the Catholic church for years, with priests around the world accused of victimizing children and others, and the institution criticized for a weak response. As Pope Leo XIV becomes leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, his stance on abuse will play a central role in shaping the church's future as it tries to rebuild trust. To better understand the direction he might take, a team of New York Times reporters examined Leo's handling of two sex abuse cases in Peru, while he was bishop in the small city of Chiclayo, from 2015 to 2023. We found stark contrasts. In one case, Pope Leo — then called Bishop Robert Prevost — sided assertively with victims of sexual abuse. He clashed with powerful Catholic figures to seek justice for victims of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a cultlike Catholic movement that recruited children of elite families and used sexual and psychological abuse to control members. In the other case, the pope is accused by victims and advocates of failing to adequately investigate claims by three women that they had been abused by priests as children. The Times investigation found that while the pope was a bishop, at least two priests accused of abusing minors continued clergy work — sometimes with children — while under investigation. The reporting also found that a priest appointed by Bishop Prevost to counsel victims told them not to expect much accountability from the church because their abuse had not 'reached a situation of rape.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Two Contrasting Cases Raise Questions of Pope Leo's Actions on Sex Abuse
The contrasts are glaring. In one case, Pope Leo XIV — then known as Bishop Robert Prevost — sided with victims of sexual abuse, locking horns with powerful Catholic figures in Peru. He sought justice for victims of a cultlike Catholic movement that recruited the children of elite families and used sexual and psychological abuse to subordinate members. In another case, Bishop Prevost was accused of failing to sufficiently investigate claims by three women that they had been abused by priests as children. The accused were two priests in Bishop Prevost's diocese in a small Peruvian city, including one who had worked closely with the bishop, according to two people who work for the church. As Leo assumes the papacy, becoming leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, his handling of clergy sexual abuse will be closely scrutinized, and the two cases have left him open to starkly diverging judgments — praise for helping victims in one, claims that he let them down in the other. In the first, victims have hailed as heroic his work taking on the ultraconservative group, Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, which had grown more influential after Pope John Paul II gave it his pontifical stamp of approval. Breaking with other powerful Catholic figures in Peru, Bishop Prevost arranged talks between victims and church leaders and helped those who suffered abuse to get psychological help and monetary settlements. As he rose through the Vatican's ranks, Bishop Prevost kept raising the pressure on Sodalitium, which was ordered to disband only weeks before -he became the first American to lead the Catholic Church. Colombia Ecuador Chiclayo Brazil Peru Pacific Ocean Lima Bolivia 200 miles By The New York Times Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
