Whistleblower documents claim Pope Leo XIV mishandled abuse allegations
(WGN) — A group has unveiled new whistleblower documents accusing Pope Leo XIV of mishandling abuse allegations while he was a bishop in Peru.
The documents, presented by a group known as the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), claim the pontiff mishandled clergy sex abuse cases, leading to them being swept under the rug.
'This is the underground story of [Robert] Prevost,' SNAP Founder and Global Affairs Chair Peter Isely said. 'This is the side of him and his management and his decisions that we're finally able to bring to light.'
SNAP filed a complaint on March 25 against then-Cardinal Prevost with the Vatican Secretary of State, claiming he abused clerical power in the handling of abuse cases.
'The reason we filed that complaint—and we filed six of them at that time—it wasn't because of any personal vendetta that we had against Prevost,' SNAP Activist Sarah Pearson said. 'He held this very important position at the de Castro for bishops, where he was then put in charge of managing the conduct of all of these bishops around the world.
'It raised alarms for us, and we believe that what we had seen in their open letter reached a level of proof that we needed to demand an investigation. And that's what we did.'
Two cases in SNAP's complaint relate to alleged incidents in Chicago.
One case pertained to a then-priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago, who was placed on restricted ministry in 1990 due to abuse allegations. According to the group, the priest was not an Augustinian, but was allowed to live at an Augustinian Friary from 2000-02. The friary was around the corner from an Archdiocese elementary school.
The second case involved a principal of a catholic high school in Chicago who had a reported history of abusing children from 2006-10.
'I think these cases show a pattern of inaction, of covering up abuse, of mishandling cases, of not following church policies and endangering children,' SNAP Spokesperson James Egan said.
The complaint goes on to mention three women in Peru who came forward to accuse two priests during Prevost's tenure as a Cardinal, and asks the new Pope to establish a new law written into canon.
'We're asking for a law written into canon law that makes it a crime to cover up the rape of a child,' Isely said. 'It's not asking much. There is no crime. There is no law on the books right now that has a punishment for helping to cover up for child rape.'
SNAP said they have received pushback from the Vatican and Cardinals from around the world, who told them Pope Leo XIV properly handled the cases.
WGN TV News has reached out to the Archdiocese of Chicago for comment on this story. They have yet to return our requests for comment.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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