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New evidence shows Pope Leo XIV granted dispensation to accused Peruvian priest to end internal investigation of his own conduct

Survivors of clergy sexual abuse released new evidence showing Pope Leo XIV wielded his new papal authority to avoid testifying about his involvement in covering up child sex abuse in Peru.

This evidence included internal Vatican documents, emails from Pope Leo, and recordings of meetings with church officials discussing the cases of sexual abuse reported by Ana María Quispe Díaz and two other victims from the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru. 

This case from Chiclayo exposes a system that allows bishops and cardinals to control and close cases that implicate themselves. 

Survivors have insisted on a binding, universal zero tolerance law that would eliminate the structures that allow the Catholic hierarchy to cover-up abuse and shield offenders with impunity.

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In a January 2023 photo posted on Facebook, Pope Leo XIV can be seen standing next to Fr. Ricardo Yesquén, dressed in clerical garb, at a birthday celebration for the priest accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl

Our mission

Conclave Watch is a global, survivor-led initiative by the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), dedicated to ensuring that the election of the next pope marks a turning point in the Catholic Church’s response to abuse. This project calls on the next conclave to select a pope who has not covered up abuse and who will commit - on the very first day of his papacy - to enacting a binding, universal zero tolerance law. Conclave Watch reflects a growing global demand that the Catholic hierarchy be held accountable by the wider society to prioritize truth-telling, support justice and healing for survivors, and end the cycle of abuse and cover-up once and for all.

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In the News

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Potentially more troubling than Erdő’s silences about public issues are signs of past mishandling of allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy…Last month, Snap (Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests) lodged a complaint with the Vatican alleging that Erdő’s conduct in the matter had “harmed the vulnerable and caused scandal” in breach of the church’s own legal code.

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“Days like this are…agonizing for those who’ve experienced [the church] at its very worst”
“Days like this are…agonizing for those who’ve experienced [the church] at its very worst”

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Press Releases

Featured
New evidence shows Pope Leo XIV granted dispensation to accused Peruvian priest to end internal investigation of his own conduct

For this reason survivors have insisted on a binding, universal zero tolerance law that would eliminate the structures that allow the Catholic hierarchy to cover-up abuse and shield offenders with impunity.

Read More →
In new audio recording, Diocese of Chiclayo calls pope’s investigation a “joke” 

The evidence includes recordings of church officials, direct emails from Prevost regarding the case in Chiclayo, and documents demonstrating a papal-approved retirement scheme that ended a Vatican investigation.

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SNAP to Pope Leo: “You could end the abuse crisis, you’re choosing not to.”

The message to abuse survivors is to expect the status quo: a church that continues to shield known offenders, refuses to discipline bishops who facilitate abuse by keeping rapists and abusers in power, and a church that will use every tool at their disposal to preserve this system. 

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Pope Leo’s Abuse Instructions “Hollow” Without Accountability for His Own Failures

Behind closed doors, he tells bishops what survivors have demanded for decades, yet in practice he has refused to abide by these standards himself.

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