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Boston Globe
21-05-2025
- Boston Globe
Survivors of clergy sexual abuse turn up calls for reforms from new pope's American hometown
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, targeted alleged abuse by Chicago priests and other clergy in Peru, Colombia, Canada, and Australia, where it contended the new pope should have done more. Along with a worldwide zero-tolerance law for accused priests, SNAP has called for a global truth commission, survivor reparations, and church transparency measures. Advertisement 'It is our hope that Pope Leo does the right thing,' Shaun Dougherty, SNAP president, told reporters in Chicago. 'It is our gut, in our experience, that says that he will need the pressure.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Requests for comment to the Vatican media office Tuesday and its diplomatic representative to the United States did not receive immediate replies. No one has accused the new pope of any act of abuse himself or knowingly keeping confirmed abusers in public ministry, which has been the biggest scandal plaguing the Catholic Church recently. Instead, victims' advocates said he should have involved authorities earlier, been vocal about accused priests, and worked to strip them of their titles. SNAP has been gathering evidence of how the church has covered for abusers and provided internal communications referencing cases, including in Chicago. Advertisement 'This is the underground story of Prevost, this is the side of him and his management and decisions that we're finally able to bring to light,' said Peter Isely with SNAP. Some cases span the time when Prevost was based in Chicago as the Midwest regional leader of the Order of St. Augustine, a job he took in 1999. Three years later, he became worldwide leader of the Augustinians. One priest who faced dozens of abuse allegations left the church in 1993 before landing a job as a Shedd Aquarium tour guide on a recommendation from a top Augustinian official. The priest worked at the popular tourist and school field trip destination in Chicago for nearly a decade before Shedd officials learned about the abuse claims. 'Had Shedd Aquarium received any information regarding the kind of allegations that have been brought to our attention, we would not have hired this individual,' a 2003 letter from the aquarium said. Advocates said Prevost inherited the case when he became Augustinian provincial leader and should have stepped in earlier, considering the priest's new job working directly with children. Survivors have demanded the church adopt a global policy that a priest be permanently removed from ministry for a single act of sexual abuse that is either admitted to or established according to church law. That has been the policy in the US church since the height of the US scandal in 2002, but the Vatican has not imposed it worldwide. SNAP also cited a case in the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, which then-Bishop Prevost led from 2014 to 2023. Three women came forward in 2022 to accuse two priests of sexual abuse. Advertisement The diocese forwarded information about the case to a Vatican office, which closed the case without a finding. However, the diocese later reopened the investigation after Prevost left for a Vatican post. Critics said Prevost failed to investigate sufficiently. The Vatican and Prevost's successor determined Prevost acted correctly as far as church law is concerned. The Vatican noted he imposed preliminary restrictions on the accused priest pending investigation by Peruvian authorities, who concluded that the statute of limitations had expired. The Archdiocese of Chicago issued a detailed, five-point statement responding to SNAP's press conference and defending the pope's record, saying that in the various cases cited, Prevost acted in accordance with the church's regulations at the time. It noted that the Vatican had ascertained that Prevost acted correctly in Chiclayo because 'the accused was removed from ministry, the persons bringing the allegations were offered victim assistance, the charges were reported to civil authorities, and they were investigated at the diocesan level and reported' to the Vatican as required, the statement said. As a bishop in Peru and then prefect at the Vatican, Prevost was intimately involved in an investigation into an influential Catholic movement in Peru, Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, which was suppressed earlier this year by Pope Francis because of alleged abuses. As a result, Prevost made plenty of enemies in the movement who have shared the allegations against him on social media in what some in the Vatican say was a campaign to try to discredit him. SNAP also cited Prevost's role from 2023 to 2025 leading the Dicastery for Bishops. It cited cases of accused bishops from Canada, Colombia, and Australia who resigned amid abuse allegations but were allowed to retain their status as bishops. Advertisement While Prevost's office would have handled investigations of accused bishops, the final decisions would have been those of Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, because the pontiff has ultimate authority over bishops.
New Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Survivors of clergy sexual abuse turn up calls for reforms from Pope Leo's American hometown
CHICAGO: Survivors of clergy sexual abuse amplified calls Tuesday for a global zero-tolerance policy from the new pope's American hometown and raised questions about Leo XIV's history of dealing with accused priests from Chicago to Australia. The cases span Robert Prevost's previous posts. They include leading a Catholic religious order, bishop and as head of the Vatican's office for bishops, where he was made cardinal. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, called out alleged abuse by Chicago priests and other clergy in Peru, Colombia, Canada and Australia where it contended the new pope should have done more. Along with a worldwide zero-tolerance law for accused priests, SNAP has called for a global truth commission, survivor reparations and church transparency measures. 'It is our hope that Pope Leo does the right thing,' Shaun Dougherty, SNAP president, told reporters in Chicago. 'It is our gut, in our experience, that says that he will need the pressure.' The Associated Press' requests for comment to the Vatican media office Tuesday and its diplomatic representative to the United States didn't receive immediate replies. No one has accused the new pope of any act of abuse himself or knowingly keeping confirmed abusers in public ministry, which has been the biggest scandal plaguing the Catholic Church recently. Instead, victims' advocates said he should have involved authorities earlier, been vocal about accused priests and worked to strip them of their titles.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Pope Leo XIV failed to ‘properly investigate' child sexual abuse in Chicago, victims' group alleges
A group representing victims sexually abused by Catholic priests alleged on Tuesday Pope Leo XIV has exhibited a 'pattern of failure to properly investigate abuse claims,' including allegations that the Chicago-born pontiff mishandled multiple cases while in prominent leadership roles in the city. 'It was his responsibility to follow the meager church protocols and laws put in place,' said James Egan, a spokesperson for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, at a news conference. 'Given his record, it doesn't seem that (he) prioritized protecting children at all.' A longtime missionary, Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Prevost in 1955 at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, and grew up in south suburban Dolton. Prevost, the first American pope, was largely welcomed with open arms across the city, and described as someone who 'cared for people.' He called for environmental stewardship and caring for the poor in his inaugural Mass. SNAP, however, said it wants to bring light to the 'underground story of Prevost,' urging him to adopt policies to better protect children. The group filed a complaint against Prevost with the Vatican in March outlining his alleged missteps in Chicago while heading the Midwest Augustinian religious order and later as a bishop in Peru. The Rev. Anthony Pizzo, current provincial of the Augustinians of the Midwest, said in response to the news conference that the order remains 'steadfast in our commitment to the safety and well-being of the children and youth entrusted to our care.' He said Pope Leo established protocols for promoting child protection in 2001, and that his record shows a 'dedication to child safety.' 'We know that the Pope will persist in his perseverance to protect children and vulnerable persons and to respond with care and compassion to those who come forward with allegations of abuse by the Church's ministers,' Pizzo said. Prevost was elected as provincial prior in Chicago in 1999, and later as the order's worldwide leader. During that time, he came under fire for his handling of two sex abuse cases involving Augustinian priests in the area. SNAP accused Prevost of allowing the Rev. James Ray, a priest accused of abusing minors and whose ministry had been restricted since 1991, to live at the Augustinian's St. John Stone Friary in Hyde Park in 2000 despite its proximity to a Catholic elementary school. Ray, who was ordained in 1975 and laicized in 2012, had 13 reported accusers, according to a 2023 report from the Illinois attorney general. He has never been convicted of a sex offense. The Vatican previously denied that Prevost approved the accommodation. Ray claimed in a Tuesday article published in the Sun-Times that Prevost 'gave me permission to stay there.' 'We are not going to comment on third-party conversations that a reporter from another newspaper claims to have had with another individual, at this time,' Michael Airdo, an attorney for the Midwest Augustinians, said in a statement. Airdo said Ray was placed at the friary from 2000 to 2002 as an 'accommodation' to the late Cardinal Francis George as head of the Chicago archdiocese, and that he was 'subject to restrictions' because of the abuse allegations. He said there were no allegations that Ray committed abuse while living there. In cases where 'established accusations' against a priest were brought to him, Airdo said Prevost 'applied precautionary measures to remove the accused friar from active ministry, placing him in a setting where there would be no risk to minors.' SNAP also condemned the order's handling of allegations against the Rev. Richard McGrath, former president of Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox. McGrath served for 32 years as principal and then president of the school before retiring amid complaints that he had abused a student and had pornography on his phone. The order settled one accuser's lawsuit for $2 million in 2023. McGrath was never criminally charged. SNAP released a letter presumably from a parent to the Midwest Augustinians, asking them to stop McGrath from giving 'back rubs to the boys at Providence.' The group also pointed to the handling of John D. Murphy, who left the priesthood in 1993 after multiple abuse claims. The order has acknowledged it received an allegation against Murphy in 1981 but returned him to ministry after he received treatment. The order ultimately settled claims by 13 people in 2004 who said they had been molested by Murphy. Murphy got a job in 1994 at the Shedd Aquarium, which included leading tours with children. The aquarium said it hired Murphy based on a 'positive written record' from the order's personnel director. He resigned in 2003. 'What was Prevost's record? We see case after case of Augustinians — their abuse being covered up or ignored for years,' Egan, the SNAP spokesperson, said. 'They were routinely put in roles that allowed them continued access and proximity to children.' 'Prevost, as head of the Augustinian order, had full responsibility for all of this, given the nature of his role,' Egan added. 'Every case that came forward to the Augustinians was his responsibility to handle.' SNAP called on Prevost to adopt a 'zero tolerance law' into canon law and to submit to international legal agreements mandating transparency and accountability. They said he should make public statements related to sexual abuse and the cover-up by the Catholic Church. 'A child right now that's being assaulted somewhere in the world — because that's what's happening right now — by some priest or some clergy, that child is more important than Pope Leo,' said Peter Isely, a founding member of SNAP.
Chicago Tribune
20-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Pope Leo XIV failed to ‘properly investigate' child sexual abuse in Chicago, victims' group alleges
A group representing victims sexually abused by Catholic priests alleged on Tuesday Pope Leo XIV has exhibited a 'pattern of failure to properly investigate abuse claims,' including allegations that the Chicago-born pontiff mishandled multiple cases while in prominent leadership roles in the city. 'It was his responsibility to follow the meager church protocols and laws put in place,' said James Egan, a spokesperson for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, at a news conference. 'Given his record, it doesn't seem that (he) prioritized protecting children at all.' A longtime missionary, Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Prevost in 1955 at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, and grew up in south suburban Dolton. Prevost, the first American pope, was largely welcomed with open arms across the city, and described as someone who 'cared for people.' He called for environmental stewardship and caring for the poor in his inaugural Mass. SNAP, however, said it wants to bring light to the 'underground story of Prevost,' urging him to adopt policies to better protect children. The group filed a complaint against Prevost with the Vatican in March outlining his alleged missteps in Chicago while heading the Midwest Augustinian religious order and later as a bishop in Peru. The Rev. Anthony Pizzo, current provincial of the Augustinians of the Midwest, said in response to the news conference that the order remains 'steadfast in our commitment to the safety and well-being of the children and youth entrusted to our care.' He said Pope Leo established protocols for promoting child protection in 2001, and that his record shows a 'dedication to child safety.' 'We know that the Pope will persist in his perseverance to protect children and vulnerable persons and to respond with care and compassion to those who come forward with allegations of abuse by the Church's ministers,' Pizzo said. Prevost was elected as provincial prior in Chicago in 1999, and later as the order's worldwide leader. During that time, he came under fire for his handling of two sex abuse cases involving Augustinian priests in the area. SNAP accused Prevost of allowing the Rev. James Ray, a priest accused of abusing minors and whose ministry had been restricted since 1991, to live at the Augustinian's St. John Stone Friary in Hyde Park in 2000 despite its proximity to a Catholic elementary school. Ray, who was ordained in 1975 and laicized in 2012, had 13 reported accusers, according to a 2023 report from the Illinois attorney general. He has never been convicted of a sex offense. The Vatican previously denied that Prevost approved the accommodation. Ray claimed in a Tuesday article published in the Sun-Times that Prevost 'gave me permission to stay there.' 'We are not going to comment on third-party conversations that a reporter from another newspaper claims to have had with another individual, at this time,' Michael Airdo, an attorney for the Midwest Augustinians, said in a statement. Airdo said Ray was placed at the friary from 2000 to 2002 as an 'accommodation' to the late Cardinal Francis George as head of the Chicago archdiocese, and that he was 'subject to restrictions' because of the abuse allegations. He said there were no allegations that Ray committed abuse while living there. In cases where 'established accusations' against a priest were brought to him, Airdo said Prevost 'applied precautionary measures to remove the accused friar from active ministry, placing him in a setting where there would be no risk to minors.' SNAP also condemned the order's handling of allegations against the Rev. Richard McGrath, former president of Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox. McGrath served for 32 years as principal and then president of the school before retiring amid complaints that he had abused a student and had pornography on his phone. The order settled one accuser's lawsuit for $2 million in 2023. McGrath was never criminally charged. SNAP released a letter presumably from a parent to the Midwest Augustinians, asking them to stop McGrath from giving 'back rubs to the boys at Providence.' The group also pointed to the handling of John D. Murphy, who left the priesthood in 1993 after multiple abuse claims. The order has acknowledged it received an allegation against Murphy in 1981 but returned him to ministry after he received treatment. The order ultimately settled claims by 13 people in 2004 who said they had been molested by Murphy. Murphy got a job in 1994 at the Shedd Aquarium, which included leading tours with children. The aquarium said it hired Murphy based on a 'positive written record' from the order's personnel director. He resigned in 2003. 'What was Prevost's record? We see case after case of Augustinians — their abuse being covered up or ignored for years,' Egan, the SNAP spokesperson, said. 'They were routinely put in roles that allowed them continued access and proximity to children.' 'Prevost, as head of the Augustinian order, had full responsibility for all of this, given the nature of his role,' Egan added. 'Every case that came forward to the Augustinians was his responsibility to handle.' SNAP called on Prevost to adopt a 'zero tolerance law' into canon law and to submit to international legal agreements mandating transparency and accountability. They said he should make public statements related to sexual abuse and the cover-up by the Catholic Church. 'A child right now that's being assaulted somewhere in the world — because that's what's happening right now — by some priest or some clergy, that child is more important than Pope Leo,' said Peter Isely, a founding member of SNAP.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
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.
