On the day that Pope Leo the Fourteenth started his trip to South America, allegations of abuse came into focus again in his adopted home of Peru: 77 clergy have been publicly accused of abuse in recent years.
Anne Barret-Doyle of the US portal Bishop Accountability told reporters: "We believe that 77 is only a tiny fraction of the real number and that thousands of victims in this country have yet to come forward."
The first to speak out in Peru was Jose Escardó. He was 17 years old when he decided to become a so-called Soldier of Christ - and join Sodalicio. At that time, in 1977, the ultra-right Catholic lay movement saw itself as a counter-movement to left-wing liberation theology in Latin America.
We wanted to improve the world, he says today via video call, but we were abused. "They called it 'requirements' because - they said - we had to be indestructible, mentally, physically and emotionally. We were ordered to hit each other in the face and stomach until the first one fell to the ground," says Escardó.
And: "Sleeping on the stairs, washing our faces with dirty toilet water - apart from the sexual violence that some of us, like me, have suffered." He accused Sodalicio of abuse back in 2000 and was then threatened for years. It wasn't until 15 years later that there was movement in the case.
Movement also through extensive research by two journalists Pedro Salinas and Paola Ugaz into the dark machinations of the organization, which Escardó describes as a criminal network. These ranged from sexual assault and abuse of power to land grabbing and illegal financial transactions.
Not dissolved until 2025
In 2025, the Sodalicio movement was dissolved by Pope Francis, and the Bishop of Chiclayo played a crucial role in this, says Escardó. The bishop's name is Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV. He worked in Peru for almost 21 years - first as a missionary, then as a bishop - and even has citizenship.
The hope was even greater that a meeting with Sodalicio victims could take place during his visit. But the organizers of the trip had no interest in that, believes Escardó, now chairman of the Peruvian Abuse Victims Association. "We, a group of 33 affected people, have signed an open letter to the Pope. The request is that he not only meets with the victims, but also learns that the process of dissolving the Sodalicio has not been completed," says Escardó.
"There is no justice, no reparation and no healing for the victims; and there is a lack of any protection and prevention measures." The fact that Leo campaigned for the dissolution of Sodalicio during his time as bishop not only brought him friends. The fact that allegations were circulating before the conclave that Prevost himself had covered up allegations of abuse - these allegations have now been refuted by numerous research. Escardó sees it as a campaign of revenge.
Still very influential
Personalities associated with Sodalicio still had great influence in Peru - including in the bishops' conference, which helped organize Pope Leo's trip.
Paola Ugaz, one of the two journalists who took part in the case, also observes this. "I think the intention of those organizing this trip is exactly that: to demonstrate that they continue to have the upper hand, that they have never been away. And that's why there won't be any waves now. The Sodalicio case was simply swept under the carpet here in Peru."
Pope Leo met with victims of abuse in Argentina - none of them were representatives of the groups that had explicitly requested a meeting. The selection is not transparent. Escardó criticizes that it cannot be the case that representatives of the church, and therefore basically of the perpetrator organization, alone decide who takes part in the meeting.
Big task for the Catholic Church
The Argentine sociologist Ana Lourdes, who researches abuse and power structures in the Catholic Church in Latin America, says: There is a noticeable change. "A change has begun - or rather: the moment of change has arrived - in which the church believes the victims and feels empathy and compassion for them." Pope Leo takes such an attitude. “It signals: ‘It’s important to me.’ That has symbolic value.”
Nevertheless, it remains part of a mechanism in which abuse is a systemic and structural problem. "There is still a lot of cover-up. Protecting the church took priority over protecting the victims. It is an illusion to believe that it is over."
In Argentina, Leo made it clear that he is fully aware of the great task the church faces - and how the issue of abuse has also undermined trust in the institution. In Buenos Aires he also called back to prayer those who had been injured by people who were supposed to accompany them.
