Sodalicio victims ask Pope Leo XIV for a meeting in Peru — Tagesschau
In Peru, a group of 33 people who say they suffered abuse in the Catholic movement Sodalicio signed an open letter to Pope Leo XIV. According to one of the signatories, José Escardó, they are asking the pontiff to meet with them and draw attention to the unfinished process of dissolving the organization. This was reported by Tagesschau.
According to the U.S. portal Bishop Accountability, 77 clergymen in Peru have been publicly accused of abuse in recent years. Anne Barrett-Doyle, a representative of the portal, said that this figure may be only a small fraction of the actual number of cases.
Accusations against Sodalicio
Sodalicio is an ultraright Catholic lay organization founded in 1977 as a counterweight to left-wing liberation theology in Latin America. Escardó, who joined the movement at the age of 17, said that he and other members were subjected to physical violence and humiliating practices, while some people suffered sexual abuse.
According to him, he publicly accused Sodalicio of abuse as early as 2000 and received threats for years afterward. Journalists Pedro Salinas and Paola Ugaz also investigated the case. Escardó calls the organization a criminal network and links its activities to sexual assaults, abuse of power, land seizures, and illegal financial operations.
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Dissolution of the movement and the applicants' demands
Pope Francis dissolved Sodalicio in 2025. Escardó claims that Robert Prevost, who was then bishop of Chiclayo and is now Pope Leo XIV, played an important role in this. Prevost worked in Peru for nearly 21 years, first as a missionary and later as a bishop, and holds Peruvian citizenship.
In the letter, the group states that following the dissolution of Sodalicio, there is still no justice, compensation, adequate protection, or mechanisms to prevent abuse. Paola Ugaz also said that people connected to the movement retain influence in Peru, including in the bishops' conference, which participated in organizing the Pope's trip.
During a visit to Argentina, Leo XIV met with survivors of abuse, but representatives of groups that had separately requested a meeting were not among them. Escardó criticized what he considers to be a non-transparent procedure for selecting participants. Argentine sociologist Ana Lourdes said that, in her assessment, changes in the church's attitude toward victims are noticeable, but the concealment of such cases remains a systemic problem.
