CNN
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Pope Leo XIV said The Catholic Church is grateful to Peruvian journalists for reporting on allegations of abuse within powerful Catholic groups, saying, “We must establish a culture that refuses to tolerate abuse in all sorts of ways.
Leo’s remarks were the first to publicly go on a church abuse scandal since the May 8 election to the Pope See, and were included in a message sent for the performance of a play that drastically portrayed the work of an investigative journalist.
“It is urgent to infringe the whole church on a culture of prevention that does not tolerate any form of abuse, whether power or authority, conscience or spirituality, sexually,” Leo wrote in a message read on June 20th. “This culture is only authentic if it comes from positive vigilance, transparent processes and honest listening to the injured people.”
The Pope praised Ugaz and other Peruvian journalists for their reporting on abuse scandals within Sodalithium Christian Vitaye (Sodality of Christian Life, or SCV), a highly influential Catholic society that had a deep Catholic society for Peru, which had a deep Catholic society for the powerful and wealthy people, and he said that the work of journalism is essential to implementing that culture of prevention.
Pope Leo, who worked as a missionary and bishop in Peru for years, met with the SCV incident while working in the country with Ugaz. And several survivors said it was important in ensuring that action was taken against the group he is currently disbanding.
In his message, the first American Pope said it was essential when the church addressed abuse following “a concrete path of humility, truth and reparation,” and cited the groundbreaking 2018 letter from Pope Francis and the church’s “commitment to guarantee protection for miso and vulnerable adults.” Leo argued that although responses to abuse cannot simply be a “strategy” it is necessary to “conversion” by the church. For decades, the church has been working on the devastating revelation of sexual abuse by priests and other church leaders.
Given that some bishops have criticised the media in the past, the Pope’s praise for the work of journalists exposing abuse scandals is important. However, Leo XIV said that journalists who reported on Sordartium did so with “courage, perseverance, true fidelity” and faced “unfair attacks.”
The Pope said the church recognized the “scars” of “so many children, young people, adults betrayed in places where they sought comfort” and “the truth cannot be buried because they endangered those and (good) names who put their freedom at risk.”
The June 20th message from Leo was read during the performance of the play “Proyecto ugaz” (Project Ugaz) in Lima, Peru. Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, one of the Vatican investigators of the Sodalithium Group, read a message with Ugaz on stage with him.
The work of journalists is essential, Leo argued that the church is a place where “no one suffers from silence” and that “the truth is not seen as a threat, but as a path to liberation.
Pope Leo also referred to the “tensions” in Peru that have been raised following the removal of President Pedro Castillo in 2022, highlighting the importance of free media in a country where journalists face threats and attacks.
“In this age of deep institutional and social tensions, defending free and ethical journalism is not only an act of justice, but also the duty of all those who long for a solid, participatory democracy,” he said. “Where journalists are silent, the democratic spirit of the country weakens. Freedom of the press is an inviolable general interest.
A few days after the election, the Pope met with media representatives at the Vatican, during which he emphasized his support for the free press and called for the release of imprisoned journalists. Ugaz was among those attending the meeting, and after his speech she gave him a box of chocolate and a Peruvian scarf, so he greeted Leo with a wide smile.
He explained his encounter with the media in his message on June 20th, stating that the journalist’s “sacred mission” would “be a bridge between facts and the conscience of people.”
