A convicted priest is back at work. Child advocates want Pope Leo to act
If everyone who does wrong 'gets shunned,' the official said, 'few of us would still be standing.'
Article content
The Washington Post reported in 2021 that Capella had been allowed to participate in a work-release program in which he spent mornings at the small Vatican office that sells certificates of papal blessings for personal occasions.
Article content
Now, Capella's case is once again underscoring how the Holy See routinely approaches wrongdoing by clerics – from the religious standpoint of mercy and a spirit of Catholic atonement. That vision has clashed with that of victims advocates, who see Capella's return to the secretariat in any capacity, as well as the senior appointment of a convicted rapist in France, as evidence of an overly lenient approach.
Article content
The demands for action have raised questions about how the new pope will handle perhaps the thorniest issue facing the faith he leads: tainted priests.
Article content
Article content
Under Francis, the Vatican sought to address widespread allegations of church complicity. In 2019, he convened an unprecedented summit on clerical sexual abuse, later imposing a sweeping law requiring church officials to report accusations of abuse or official cover-ups to their superiors.
Article content
But the law did not require allegations to be reported to civil authorities, and victims groups have pointed to more-recent scandals in Switzerland and elsewhere as evidence that not enough has changed. They say Leo should remove Capella from the secretariat and overturn the recent French appointment to show his commitment to zero tolerance.
Article content
Leo has a mixed record on handling abuse cases.
Article content
As a bishop in Peru, for instance, he won praise for moving against the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae – a secretive, archconservative Catholic group that expanded from Lima to several countries and was accused of systematic sexual and psychological abuse. At the same time, he was accused of lax oversight in the handling of abuse allegations by three women in his diocese of Chiclayo.
Article content
Last month, in a note honoring a Peruvian journalist whose work helped expose sexual abuse within the Sodalitium group, Leo called for a cultural shift inside the church.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Montreal Gazette
5 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Suspect in Saskatoon killing, Canada's 10th most wanted, arrested at Trudeau airport
One of Canada's 10 most wanted people, a suspect in a 2022 homicide in Saskatoon, was arrested on Saturday at Montreal's Trudeau airport. Montreal-born Jonathan Ouellet-Gendron, 26, was arrested as he returned to the country Saturday afternoon, the Sûreté du Québec announced. He has warrants for murder, drug trafficking and other firearms offences, 14 charges in total. The SQ said he will be detained for a court appearance expected to take place Sunday. On May 19, 2022, Brandon Baxandall, 29, was killed in a shooting in an apartment on Saskatoon's Melrose Avenue. He had white zip ties around his wrists, duct tape on his mouth and a lot of cash in his pockets, according to an agreed statement of facts read out in a court case against Mohamed Abdula Ali, 37, who was convicted of manslaughter in the killing in 2024. Ali was sentenced to six years in prison. Gendron, Ali and two other men lured Baxandall, who they knew through the drug trade, to Ali's apartment, according to the statement of facts. Earlier that day, Ali had overheard a conversation in French between Gendron and a man referred to as 'Bob' about drugs and robbing someone. Knowing Gendron wanted to meet Baxandall for 'nefarious reasons,' Ali asked the victim to come over so he could pay him money he owed. The two men chatted and Ali paid Baxandall before Gendron and 'Bob' emerged from a bedroom and tried to tie Baxandall up. Baxandall drew a semi-automatic handgun, shot at 'Bob,' missed, and hit another man before his gun jammed. 'A gunfight ensued,' leaving bullet holes in the walls and blood in the hallway of a building filled with people. Ali, who was between Gendron, 'Bob' and Baxandall, was hit three times. Baxandall was shot in the neck, in the side of his body and twice in the back as he tried to run away. Police determined that Gendron had shot both Baxandall and Ali. A 9 mm Glock found in a back alley garbage bin had Gendron's DNA on it, and the handgun had fired a bullet removed from Baxandall's body. The Crown prosecutor said Ali initially claimed to be a victim in the shooting, but while he didn't know the full extent of Gendron's plan, he knew there would be violence when he helped lure Baxandall to his suite, and he helped Gendron buy zip ties, duct tape, gardening sheers and rope. The arrest comes two months after a $50,000 reward for information leading to Ouellet-Gendron's capture expired. He was No. 10 on the list of Canada's 25 most wanted under the Bolo Program. This story was originally published August 9, 2025 at 6:36 PM.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Thousands in the Ivory Coast protest the exclusion of opposition leaders from election
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Thousands of Ivorians took to the streets in Abidjan, the capital of the West African nation, to protest against the exclusion of opposition leaders from the upcoming presidential election. Ivory Coast, a nation of 32 million that is the biggest economy of francophone West Africa, is due to hold a presidential vote in October. Earlier this year four main opposition figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam, were barred from running by the electoral commission. Protesters gathered Saturday morning in Yopougon, a densely populated suburb of the capital Abidjan, holding banners with messages such as: 'Enough is enough!' and 'No true democracy without true justice.' Gbagbo and Thiam joined forces earlier this year to challenge incumbent President Alassane Ouattara. The 83-year-old leader announced last month that he would seek a fourth presidential term. His candidacy is contested after he changed the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits. 'We are millions saying YES to Gbagbo and Thiam' said another banner in the crowd. 'We don't want a fourth term, and we want the electoral roll revised, that's what we are asking for,' said Sagesse Divine, an activist who participated in Saturday's march. 'We want all candidates' names included, and we want to go to the elections in peace, that's all we want.' There was no immediate comments from Ivorian authorities. Thiam, president of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, won the party's primary in an uncontested vote in April. Seen as Ouattara's main rival, he has been barred from running on the grounds that he was still a French citizen at the time he declared his candidacy, even though he later renounced his French nationality. Ivorian law bans dual nationals from running for president. Elections in Ivory Coast have usually been fraught with tension and violence. When Ouattara announced his bid for a third term, several people were killed in election violence. Ouattara is the latest among a growing number of leaders in West Africa who remain in power by changing constitutional term limits. Ouattara justified his decision to run again by saying that the Ivory Coast is facing unprecedented security, economic and monetary challenges that require experience to manage them effectively. Over the past decade, groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have been spreading from the Sahel region into wealthier West African coastal states, such as Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Artist honours rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot at National Mosaic Art Exhibition
TORONTO – One artist's work at a mosaic exhibition in Toronto is honouring a French sexual abuse survivor who galvanized a global movement to better protect women. Valerie Brownell remembers closely following Gisèle Pelicot during the trial in her case. Titled Gisèle and the Unity of Women, Brownell's piece is on display at the National Mosaic Art Exhibition in the city's west end. Pelicot, 72, was drugged and raped by her husband, who was found guilty of inviting dozens of strangers to also abuse her over nearly a decade. Today, she is lauded globally for her courage in testifying against her abusers, and paving the way for consent to be included in France's legal definition of rape. 'Many women showed their support for her by coming to the trial, to the courthouse every day and chanting 'shame is changing sides,'' Brownell said. For several months after the trial, Brownell, who is also the president of Mosaic Artists of Canada, thought about the design of the mosaic and the materials she would use to bring her feelings to life. Seeing that turnout and the related marches and rallies inspired Brownell. 'Mosaics is not a fast art form by any means. Every piece is cut by hand, so every piece of marble, every piece of glass, it's all cut by hands,' Brownell said. In her piece, Brownell represents the abusers as a long line of nails. These nails curve and run through the blue smalti, also known as mosaic glass, which represents Pelicot's world. On either side of the line of nails, Brownell said she used grey marble to represent the dark shadow the men have left on the world. 'Part of the mosaic is fragmented and that's how I wanted to show that her world was fragmented by this event,' Brownell said. Yet, at her core, Pelicot retained her femininity, Brownell said, which is represented by the gold smalti. That and the warm tones of the marble around Pelicot's world represent the women in her corner, she said. 'The theme for the show is unity and I felt these women coming together to support her shows female unity and that it could be a powerful force,' Brownell said. Brownell began working in mosaics over 25 years ago, leaving her job as a lab technologist to focus on her craft. Today, she is an internationally acclaimed artist. Other pieces in the exhibition, which runs until Sept. 12 and features works from 34 professional and emerging Canadian artists, include micro-mosaics, 3D sculptures and textured wall pieces. 'When I heard that the theme was unity, I thought that that would be a perfect way to express unity through the land, which is something that's very important to me as an Indigenous person,' said Dianne Sonnenberg, whose work is also featured in the exhibition. Sonnenberg is Ojibwe from Chippewas of Rama First Nation In her mosaic titled Turtle Island, Sonnenberg used stone, slate and semi-precious gems to represent the turtle shell. On top of the turtle's shell, she put ribbons of textile patterns, symbolizing different cultures in the country. She said her work was inspired by the realization that people, despite their own unique qualities and identities, are alike at their core. 'In many ways, we're so much the same. A lot of the patterns that are developed here in North America or in the Middle East or in Asia, they're very similar to each other, and that's what I wanted to express,' she said. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. An awards and reception ceremony will be held on Sept. 11 where a jury will deliver recognitions like Best in Show, Innovation Award, Emerging Artist Award and Juror's Choice Award. The public can also make their votes in person at the gallery or online for a People's Choice Award. The prize is $150 for Best in Show and $50 for every other award. Most of the exhibited work, including Brownell's pieces, can be purchased at the gallery. Other small original mosaics, donated by artists from across Canada and beyond, are also available to purchase in support of Mosaic Artists of Canada. 'Experience the mosaics, get up close,' Brownell said, encouraging everyone who can to come support the show and learn more about the art form. The exhibition is being held at Neilson Park Creative Centre at 56 Neilson Drive. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2025.
