Personal Injury

On May 18th 2025, the first North American Pope, Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, officially began his papacy following his inauguration mass. His sermon focused on church unity, as he hopes to “build bridges and to keep our arms open.”

However, since Pope Leo’s election, the public has speculated on what his approach towards reconciling the global sexual abuse crisis would be. The previous Pope Francis had prioritised accountability and transparency in the Church, revising the Catholic Church’s canon laws about sexual abuse, but had also left unfinished work.

Concerns about Prevost’s previous approaches towards handling sexual abuse cases have been raised, particularly in three instances in Peru and Chicago.

This raises the question: What will Pope Leo do to continue Francis’ legacy?

What did Pope Francis do?

Pope Francis created unprecedented changes to the Catholic Church’s canon law. In 2019, he notably abolished the pontifical secret over child sexual abuse. The pontifical secret refers to the confidential status of information related to governing the universal Church.

The Instruction Secreta continere (1974) outlines what is subject to secrecy, who is bound by it, and penalties for infringing the oath. Controversially, under article 1, pontifical secrecy applied to legal procedures of criminal matters handled by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, often covering up sexual abuse.

In 2017, the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse issued a Final Report, addressing recommendations to the Catholic Church. Recommendation 16.10 urged the Holy See to amend the 1983 Code of Canon Law by lifting the pontifical secret for allegations and disciplinary actions relating to child sexual abuse.

Later in 2019, Pope Francis followed this recommendation. Other significant revisions of the canon law included permitting the removal of bishops for “culpable negligence” in failing to report sexual crimes, and the criminalisation of “grooming” minors and adults into engaging in pornography.

What has Pope Leo done so far?

Following the election of Pope Leo, victim groups have reported that he had previously mishandled and covered up child abuse. In Chicago, 2000, Prevost allegedly allowed Father James Ray, a priest he oversaw, to live in close proximity to an elementary school, despite being accused of abusing minors since 1991.

Prevost also apparently failed to investigate the allegations or notify the school’s administration, thus actively endangering the children.

In March 2025, a complaint was issued by Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) following Pope Francis’ death, writing that 13 victims had spoken up against Ray.

The second instance occurred in Peru, 2022, where three women filed complaints to Prevost, alleging that two priests in the diocese of Chiclayo, Father Eleuterio Vásquez Gonzáles and Father Ricardo Yesquen, had sexually abused them from 2007. The diocese stated that following the complaints, Prevost had met with the women and would initiate a preliminary investigation. However, SNAP’s complaint stated that Prevost not only failed to open any investigations but also failed to notify civil authorities or properly restrict priests from the ministry.

The final instance, beginning in Peru in 2015, perhaps provides some hope for the newly inaugurated Pope. The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV), an influential Catholic society, had been subject to numerous allegations of beatings, humiliation and sexual assault, particularly by founder Luis Fernando Figari.

In 2018, Prevost assisted in organising meetings between SCV survivors and prelates at a conference in Lima, helping secure financial settlements. Prevost also helped connect another alleged victim with SCV, who had little success in meeting the church officials before contacting him. Investigations were catalysed in 2023 when Prevost was appointed as prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops, and 14 members of SCV were expelled, including Figari.

What can Pope Leo do next?

In 2019, Pope Francis issued a decree “Vos Estis Lux Mundi”, establishing complaint and investigation procedures for child sexual abuse. Under article 3, clerics or members are required to report to the Church if they receive a “notice”, or have a “well-founded” motive to believe a crime occurred.

However, although reporting to the Church authorities is mandatory, the canon law does not require reporting to civil authorities or police. Bishops who are culpably negligent in failing to report abuse to the Church can be removed from office, but no punishment is imposed for failing to report to the police.

This omission supposedly accounts for countries with repressive regimes. However, it does not explain the lack of mandatory police reports in many non-repressive countries. Furthermore, the Holy See’s response to the Royal Commission’s recommendations maintained “office confidentiality” for penal processes, on the basis of maintaining the “good of the Church.” A similar justification had been used for the original pontifical secret laws in 1922, which have now been abolished.

Popes Benedict XVI and Francis claimed to practice “zero tolerance” for child sexual abuse. Recommendation 16.56 of the Royal Commission’s report encouraged dismissal as the appropriate punishment.

The 2024 Universal Guidelines for the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors recommended permanent removal from the ministry for convicted offences. Contrastingly, Pope Francis failed to follow through in multiple cases, with only 25% of convicted priests having been dismissed. A true promise of “zero tolerance” will require reform from Pope Leo, diverging from his alleged history of covering up sexual abuse. SNAP has called for independent oversight to hold perpetrators accountable.

As Pope Leo steps into his pontificate, work will be required of him to not only reconcile his past shortcomings, but continue Pope Francis’ incomplete work on child sexual abuse laws. His legal Anglo-American background, which focuses more on transparency, perhaps provides some hope for the Catholic Church.

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