Survivors Urge Pope Leo XIV to Address Past Abuse Case Handling in Chicago and Peru

Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, faces calls from abuse survivors and advocacy groups to address his past handling of clergy abuse cases in Chicago and Peru. Critics highlight his alleged inaction regarding accused priests, including Father James Ray in Chicago and two priests in Peru. Despite criticism, Prevost is credited for supporting victims of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a dissolved Catholic movement in Peru. Advocacy groups urge transparency and reform, emphasizing the need for Pope Leo XIV to build trust with victims and their families.

Scrutiny Over Chicago Tenure

Before ascending to the papacy, Robert Prevost served as the prior provincial of the Augustinian Order’s Midwest Province in Chicago from 1999 to 2010. During this period, allegations surfaced involving Father James Ray, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago who had been placed on restricted ministry in 1990 due to accusations of child sexual abuse. Despite these restrictions, Ray was permitted to reside at the Augustinian-run St. John Stone Friary in Hyde Park from 2000 to 2002—just blocks from a Catholic elementary school.

According to a complaint filed by the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), Prevost was aware of Ray’s presence at the friary and failed to notify the surrounding community or take further action. SNAP cited a 2000 internal memo from the Archdiocese of Chicago as evidence of Prevost’s knowledge of the arrangement. Ray was eventually moved out in 2002 and later left the priesthood.

Eduardo Lopez de Casas, a clergy abuse survivor and SNAP’s national vice president, said, “By doing so, Cardinal Prevost endangered the safety of the children.” SNAP filed a formal complaint with the Vatican in March 2025 under church legislation introduced by Pope Francis, which allows for disciplinary measures against bishops who mishandle abuse cases.

Allegations in Peru

Prevost’s tenure as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, from 2015 to 2023, has also come under scrutiny. In April 2022, three women—Ana María Quispe and her sisters Juana Mercedes and Aura Teresa—reported to Prevost that they had been sexually abused as minors by two local priests, Eleuterio Vásquez Gonzales and Ricardo Yesquén, beginning in 2007.

According to the complaint filed by SNAP and corroborated by other advocacy groups, the diocese under Prevost’s leadership failed to conduct thorough interviews with the victims or report the allegations to civil authorities. The women later took their case to Peruvian authorities, but the investigation was dropped due to the statute of limitations and insufficient evidence.

The diocese stated that it had followed proper procedures, including suspending Gonzales from ministry and forwarding the case to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. However, photos later surfaced allegedly showing Gonzales continuing to celebrate Mass. Yesquén was reportedly no longer in ministry due to age and health.

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org criticized Prevost’s handling of the case, stating, “He never opened a canonical case into alleged sexual abuse carried out by two priests.” She also noted that during his time as bishop and later as head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, Prevost did not release the names of accused clergy or discipline any bishops for mishandling abuse cases.

Mixed Record Acknowledged by Advocates

Despite the criticism, some advocates and survivors have acknowledged Prevost’s role in supporting victims of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV), a conservative lay Catholic movement based in Peru. The group was dissolved by Pope Francis in January 2025 following a seven-year investigation that uncovered widespread sexual, psychological, and financial abuse.

Prevost, while serving as bishop of Chiclayo, was among five bishops credited by survivor and journalist Pedro Salinas for playing an “extremely important role” in supporting victims and pushing for accountability. Salinas, who co-authored a book that exposed the SCV scandal, said, “Prevost stood with us when others didn’t. That’s why his election matters.”

Prevost also joined Pope Francis in a January 2025 meeting with Jose Enrique Escardo, one of the first victims to publicly denounce the SCV’s abuses. The Vatican later confirmed that 36 people, including 19 minors, had been abused by members of the group.

Carlos Garcia Camader, head of the Peruvian Bishop’s Conference, defended Prevost’s record, stating that he “opened the way here in Peru to listen to the victims, to organise the truth commission” in the SCV case.

Calls for Transparency and Reform

Advocacy groups are now calling on Pope Leo XIV to demonstrate transparency and accountability in his new role. “Some might advise giving the new pontiff the benefit of the doubt. We disagree. It is on Pope Leo XIV to win the trust of victims and their families,” said Anne Barrett Doyle.

Gemma Hickey, president of Ending Clergy Abuse, added, “Let this pope be remembered not for the global abuse crisis he inherits, but for how he ends it.”

In a 2023 interview with Vatican News, Prevost acknowledged the need for greater transparency, stating, “Silence is not the solution. We must be transparent and honest, we must accompany and assist the victims, because otherwise their wounds will never heal.”

Still, critics argue that his past actions have not always aligned with those words. SNAP and BishopAccountability.org continue to press for a full accounting of Prevost’s decisions in both Chicago and Peru, particularly regarding the lack of public disclosure and perceived inaction in key abuse cases.

Survivors Urge Pope Leo XIV to Address Past Abuse Case Handling in Chicago and Peru

Scrutiny Over Chicago Tenure

Allegations in Peru

Mixed Record Acknowledged by Advocates

Calls for Transparency and Reform

References

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