Pope Leo accused of failing to properly investigate allegations of child sexual abuse in his church

[IwantToRetire]

Pope Leo has been accused of failing to properly investigate allegations of child sexual abuse against priests in his churches in Chicago and Peru.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (Snap) says it made the Vatican aware of Robert Prevost’s reported inaction on the allegations when he was a cardinal, filing an official complaint with Vatican officials against him in March. The group says it has not had a response.

More at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-leo-catholic-vatican-sexual-abuse-b2747885.html

I'll nearly didn't post this because it is almost as this is the norm, not just in the Catholic Church, but others as well.

But then I thought that is so disrespectful to the women failed by yet another male institution.

And there was quite a moving interview on the BBC World Service.

So just because it is at it were "the norm" shouldn't be reason to stay silent.

I'm so shocked.

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
https://www.snapnetwork.org/

Survivors respond to Pope Leo XIV’s election with grave concern about his record managing abuse cases
https://www.snapnetwork.org/survivors_respond_to_pope_leo_xiv_s_election_with_grave_concern_about_his_record_managing_abuse_cases

Wow. And in other news, the Pope is Catholic.

In this case, literally.

I nearly used the phrase but ...

As I said the worry is because it is so unsurprising its easy to let it just glide over us.

Is anyone surprised?

Part of the job spec, is it not? 🙄

Quelle surprise .

I’d be more shocked if he wasn’t allegedly involved in
something like this. Bears/wood, Pope/Catholic.

I wonder whether it’s actually theoretically possible for the Catholic Church to find someone senior who has not been involved in this.

Well not just the Catholic Church.

Look what happened in the UK.

I wasn't paying close attention but first the head of the church had to stand down, and then his stand in also had to or something.

I suspect political parties and many other institutions are the same.

But even though I dont really believe in organised religions, I suppose I still sort of hope that they might apply some of the virtuous messages to their own behaviout.

But in the end, these are all boys clubs.

I wondered the same. Maybe there are no senior members of the RC church who have clean records on this. Deeply depressing, if so.

The church fundamentally doesn’t care. Choosing celebate adult men and excluding women as priests was always a set up for the worst kind of men to have access to children.

Isn't that one of the criteria in the selection process.

(There's no white smoke without fire...)

The Church of England's elected governing body began a week-long meeting in London on Monday, after an "unprecedented crisis" triggered by a number of sexual abuse scandals.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250210-church-of-england-meets-after-series-of-abuse-scandals

Gosh, that didn't take long.

Ten Church of England clergy face disciplinary action
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5dyyq6v86o

I bet its more than 10.

The scandal is that ANYONE still thinks priests or vicars should be “investigating” abuse. FFS it’s a matter for the police. Why are THEY not responsible for investigating crime?

Exactly.

But political parties do this, universities, and who knows what other institutions.

And it is always the same. They never find anything wrong.

So when there is a complaint about nothing being found, they then quote the outcome of the "investigation" to say nothing happened.

In the US state of Washington they just passed a law that priests cannot withhold child abuse confessions from the police. That they are considered mandated reporters.

priests, popes, and other men protected by fabricated cloaks of untouchability should not be above the law.

And I’m one of those agnostics, raised Protestant, who is tired of this pomp and celebratory coverage of another old man getting another fancy job. Not shocked whatsoever this pope protected child abusers. It’s an institutional tradition.

Sadly I'm unsurprised. Check the website Bishop Accountability. Even Francis seems to have covered more than one up. Papal infallibility is a cruel charade...

I think it would be a miracle to find a bishop in that church period who had not covered up abuse. We won't get a clean Pope for another generation.

Just re listened to this classic
Pope song (+Disco) https://g.co/kgs/7PFdACA

Depressingly it's everywhere. And my family weren't much better when I disclosed abuse. It's groupiness whether a family, firm, University or church - protect the group.

No it won’t be. All cardinals will have had to deal with paedophiles in their network. For many years the official advice was to move them around, even now they are not mandated to go to the police.

I don’t think any cardinal has performed at a level which SNAP would find itself able to support. It is interesting that they didn’t say anything beforehand about who they would like to see in the role (maybe not asked)

It is depressing, but hardly surprising that he has history in covering up abuse as many have said. We can only hope he gets better in power.

Meanwhile a lot of coverage focuses on the fact he said this in 2012:

“The promotion of gender ideology is confusing, because it seeks to create genders that don’t exist.”

It is pretty clear he hasn't changed his views on being gay or gender ideas or on female priests as recently as 2023 - the doctrine is the same, he is just more welcoming like Francis was:
e

So he will continue that stance as Pope