NZ theologian defends Pope Leo’s record on abuse in Peru

“He was one of the few bishops that supported us and helped us, and actually he helped the suppression of Sodalicio, which was a community with lots of cases of abuse,” Dr Rocio Figueroa told the BBC. 

Dr Figueroa, who works for Te Kupenga Catholic Theological College in Auckland, added that then-Bishop Robert Prevost was “one of the few bishops” who supported survivors.

She was involved with the women’s branch of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a Peru-based Catholic group that has been accused of committing physical and sexual abuse for decades. Dr Figueroa herself suffered abuse by a high-ranking member of the group, which Pope Francis suppressed earlier this year.  

The narrative that Bishop Prevost covered up these cases was “made up” by the Sodalicio community, said Dr Figueroa, who once headed the Women’s Section in the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

“Prevost was the one who also was very strong against Sodalicio and against the cover-up, and supporting the victims of abuse,” Dr Figueroa said.

In the cases that he has been accused of covering up, he did not cover up and did the right thing, sending the accusation to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, she told CathNews New Zealand.  

Crux contributing editor Charles Altieri wrote that some of the accusations Leo XIV has faced come from quarters highly questionable for their credibility. A review appeared to have exonerated then-Cardinal Prevost in the Peru case being highlighted by media.

The diocese he led, Chiclayo, launched an inquiry into the abuse accusation, prohibited the accused from ministry, and sent the results of the investigation to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) in Rome.

The DDF and civil authorities ultimately opted to close the case in 2023, with civil authorities citing a statute of limitations and the DDF a lack of evidence, but it was later reopened by the apostolic administrator of Chiclayo, who took over leadership when Bishop Prevost left, when one of the victims went public with her complaint.

Another case highlighted was the placement of an accused priest in an Augustinian friary in Chicago that was near an elementary school, and the school not being informed. This was during the time when then-Fr Prevost was the Augustinian provincial superior.

Crux was told that the location of a school two blocks away was not considered a risk at the time, given that a safety plan was in place, and the criteria of not placing accused priests near schools was a product of the 2002 Dallas Charter, which had not yet been issued when the placement decision on this priest was made.

This decision was reportedly an agreement between the Archdiocese of Chicago and the superior of the friary, but which then- Fr Prevost had to formally sign off on, since it was an Augustinian community house. A Chicago archdiocese Professional Fitness Review administrator had determined that there was “no school in the vicinity”.

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org issued a statement calling Pope Leo’s record on abuse “troubling” with “one exception” – the suppression of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae.

Ms Barrett Doyle said one of the group’s survivors “credits Prevost with playing ‘an extremely important role’ in getting the cult [sic] suppressed” when then-Cardinal Prevost was prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome. Nevertheless, Ms Barrett Doyle said Pope Leo XIV will have to prove himself willing and capable of leadership in these regards.

“It is on Pope Leo XIV to win the trust of victims and their families,” she said.

FULL STORY

Dr Rocio Figueroa from New Zealand speaks about Pope Leo to the BBC (Facebook/Te Kupenga Catholic Theological College)

Pope Leo XIV: What we know already (and what we can expect) | Crux

Serious questions of credibility surround coverup allegations against new pope | Crux

Whistleblower asked for action on Peruvian founder 14 years ago | Crux

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