Two Contrasting Cases Raise Questions of Pope Leo's Actions on Sex Abuse
The contrasts are glaring.
In one case, Pope Leo XIV — then known as Bishop Robert Prevost — sided with victims of sexual abuse, locking horns with powerful Catholic figures in Peru. He sought justice for victims of a cultlike Catholic movement that recruited the children of elite families and used sexual and psychological abuse to subordinate members.
In another case, Bishop Prevost was accused of failing to sufficiently investigate claims by three women that they had been abused by priests as children. The accused were two priests in Bishop Prevost's diocese in a small Peruvian city, including one who had worked closely with the bishop, according to two people who work for the church.
As Leo assumes the papacy, becoming leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, his handling of clergy sexual abuse will be closely scrutinized, and the two cases have left him open to starkly diverging judgments — praise for helping victims in one, claims that he let them down in the other.
In the first, victims have hailed as heroic his work taking on the ultraconservative group, Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, which had grown more influential after Pope John Paul II gave it his pontifical stamp of approval.
Breaking with other powerful Catholic figures in Peru, Bishop Prevost arranged talks between victims and church leaders and helped those who suffered abuse to get psychological help and monetary settlements. As he rose through the Vatican's ranks, Bishop Prevost kept raising the pressure on Sodalitium, which was ordered to disband only weeks before -he became the first American to lead the Catholic Church.
Colombia
Ecuador
Chiclayo
Brazil
Peru
Pacific
Ocean
Lima
Bolivia
200 miles
By The New York Times
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
A year after Loper Bright, Congress has failed to step up
One year after the Supreme Court ended judicial deference to federal agencies in its landmark Loper Bright decision, Congress shows no sign of stepping up to the constitutional role the court affirmed. Instead, Congress is actively dismantling its own capacity: proposing deep cuts to the very institutions that provide the expertise, oversight and support it needs to do the job that the court squarely placed in the first branch of government. The absurdity of this mismatch was crystallized in a remarkable confluence of events this week. In one House hearing room, the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party held a hearing on 'Algorithms and Authoritarians: Why US AI Must Lead,' grappling with complex issues of geopolitical and existential import. That same day, the House Appropriations Committee released a bill proposing to slash funding for the very experts Congress relies on to understand and address these emerging issues. The bill would cut the Government Accountability Office by 50 percent and the Library of Congress (home to the Congressional Research Service) by 10 percent. These cuts would eliminate over 1,000 expert positions at the exact moment Congress needs them most. Loper Bright overturned the 'Chevron doctrine,' under which for four decades courts deferred to agency interpretations of laws considered ambiguous. Many champions of the old doctrine argued that Congress could never possess the expertise to legislate with sufficient speed or clarity to address emerging issues. As Justice Elena Kagan put it during oral argument, 'Congress knows there are going to be gaps [in any future artificial intelligence legislation] because Congress can hardly see a week into the future with respect to' AI. The court's majority rejected that argument and clarified that the Constitution places the lawmaking responsibility squarely with Congress, whether it likes it or not. And if Congress doesn't step up, the courts will decide. But one year after Loper Bright, those initial doubts appear well-founded. In the first six months after Loper Bright was decided, lower courts cited the decision more than 400 times. Rules on everything from firearm bump stocks to environmental permitting are being invalidated or reopened, but Congress has taken no meaningful steps to review or update those laws and is now actively undermining its ability to do so in the future. Congress is now expected to legislate with greater precision, define agency authority more explicitly and ensure that statutes are interpretable, enforceable and implementable. That requires subject-matter expertise, rigorous oversight and modern legislative infrastructure. But rather than invest in those capabilities, Congress is defunding them. This is more than just poor timing. It is a structural failure to respond to the new legal environment and to the most significant change driver of our time: artificial intelligence. Across the economy, AI is being deployed to write code, analyze documents, simulate regulations and accelerate research. Meanwhile, in Congress, AI is treated primarily as a risk to manage — not a capability to leverage. The House Appropriations Committee, to its credit, acknowledges the potential of artificial intelligence. In its Financial Year 2025 report, it highlighted the value of large language models to improve legislative efficiency and encouraged collaboration between GAO, the Congressional Research Service, the Congressional Budget Office and the Library of Congress. But those same agencies are being gutted. The rhetoric of innovation is paired with budgets that eliminate the very expertise required to realize it — the policy equivalent of demanding a sports car while removing the engine. Loper Bright didn't just shift legal doctrine — it shifted responsibility. If lawmakers want regulations to stand, they must write clearer laws. If they want policy outcomes, they must legislate them. And if they want to govern effectively in an age of accelerated change, they must modernize how they work. To be serious about reclaiming its constitutional role, Congress must start by rebuilding its own capacity. That means restoring funding for expert support agencies; hiring and retaining policy staff with legal, scientific and technical knowledge; and modernizing legislative technology and workflows. And yes — it means using AI to improve research, workflows and constituent engagement, so Congress can function in an era of exponential change. The Supreme Court made clear that the pen is (and always has been) in Congress's hands. The question now isn't whether Congress has the authority, but whether it will invest in the tools and talent to use it. Marci Harris is founder and CEO of and the executive director of the nonprofit POPVOX Foundation. She is a lawyer and former congressional staffer.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Abhorrent': Akron woman sentenced for raping infant
AKRON, Ohio (WJW) — A Summit County judge has sentenced a woman to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the rape of an infant. Kristina Jacobson, 39, was convicted last week by a jury and sentenced Thursday on multiple charges, including: One count of rape, a first-degree felony Two counts of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance, both second-degree felonies One count of gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony Close encounter: Black bear spotted on local doorbell camera 'Kristina Jacobson abused an innocent child's vulnerability and inability to defend or advocate for herself,' Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich said in a statement. 'There is simply no excuse for this abhorrent crime.' Her husband and co-defendant, Scott Jacobson, 45, was sentenced in November 2024 to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to multiple sex crimes involving minors. The victims were under the age of 13, according to the pair's indictment. Search continues for dad who went missing in Cuyahoga River The indictment alleges the offenses happened between December 2011 and December 2015, and between April 2024 and May 2024. Both have been classified as Tier III sex offenders. In Ohio, a Tier III sex offender is someone convicted of a 'most severe' felony sex offense, requiring registration every 90 days for life and community notification. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
US Department of Justice sues Washington over ‘anti-Catholic' law
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The United States Department of Justice is suing the State of Washington over a new law some have deemed 'anti-Catholic.' The lawsuit stems from , which requires clergy members to report child abuse and neglect, even if the information is shared with a priest during confession. The bill was signed into law by Washington Governor Bob Ferguson in May and takes effect July 27. On Monday, The DOJ filed a motion to intervene — or a motion to join — an existing lawsuit against the state that was filed by the Archdiocese of Seattle. These are the Pacific Northwest wines that won big at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards The DOJ argues that the Washington state law violates the free exercise of religion for all Catholics because it requires priests to break the confidentiality seal of confession, which could lead priests to be excommunicated from the Catholic Church. The DOJ claims this violates the First Amendment right to free exercise of religion and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. 'Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society,' said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. Oregon appeals court finds gun forensics method is not 'scientifically valid' 'Senate Bill 5375 unconstitutionally forces Catholic priests in Washington to choose between their obligations to the Catholic Church and their penitents or face criminal consequences, while treating the priest-penitent privilege differently than other well-settled privileges. The Justice Department will not sit idly by when States mount attacks on the free exercise of religion,' Dhillon added. The Justice Department's motion to intervene is pending before the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington in Tacoma. In a statement to KOIN 6 News in response to the DOJ's suit, Governor Ferguson said, 'It is disappointing, but not surprising, to see the DOJ seek to shield and protect child abusers.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now A spokesperson for Washington Attorney General Nick Brown told KOIN 6 News that Brown's office does not comment on most pending litigation, noting they are reviewing the complaint and will respond in court. Washington State Senator Noel Frame (D-Seattle), who is the prime sponsor of SB 5375, added, 'We must take every step possible to make sure kids are safe. That's why I championed this bill and that's why it passed with bipartisan support. This law brings us in line with the majority of other states that require clergy to be mandatory reporters of abuse and neglect. We also join six other states – including Texas and Oklahoma – that require the reporting of abuse learned during penitential communication, including confession.' 'Whether you're from a red state or a blue state, keeping kids safe from abuse should be a non-partisan issue,' Frame continued. Portland bar hosts 'In Bed By 10' happy hour DJ parties The DOJ's filing comes after the Archdiocese of Seattle filed a lawsuit against Washington over the law, with Archbishop Paul D. Etienne releasing a statement in May threatening to excommunicate Catholic clergy who follow the law. Archbishop Etienne cited Acts 5:29, 'We must obey God rather than men,' saying, 'this is our stance now in the face of this new law. Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will be excommunicated from the Church. All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church.' The Archbishop added that the church agrees with protecting children and preventing child abuse, noting the Archdiocese of Seattle already has mandatory reporter policies for priests. However, those rules don't apply to information received during confession. 'Transformational partnership': Pac-12 reaches deal with CBS for football, men's basketball games 'During Confession, penitent Catholics confess aloud their sins to a Catholic priest, asking God for forgiveness,' the lawsuit argues. 'The seal of confidentiality is, therefore, the lifeblood of Confession. Without it, the free exercise of the Catholic religion, i.e. the apostolic duties performed by the Catholic priest to the benefit of Catholic parishioners, cannot take place.' Meanwhile, others argue that the law is not 'anti-Catholic,' rather, the law is focused on protecting children and getting abusers off the streets. In a phone call with KOIN 6 News, Mary Dispenza — representing the Pacific Northwest branch of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests — said it is 'absurd that they would file a suit' because SB 5375 is advocating to protect children. 'It's hard for me to believe that a bishop would file a suit,' Dispenza said, adding that the bill 'is not anti-Catholic. It's the best of Catholicism.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
