Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández

Photo: Daniel Ibáñez/ACI Prensa

Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith

Dioceses/Religious Orders: Diocese of Villa de la Concepción del Río Cuarto, Archdiocese of La Plata

As Archbishop of La Plata, Cardinal Fernández mishandled multiple serious abuse cases, including those involving Fr. Eduardo Lorenzo, Fr. Raúl Sidders, and Fr. Maximiliano Di Virgilio. Despite credible allegations and growing public concern, Fernández consistently downplayed complaints, shielded accused priests, and failed to remove them from ministry in a timely or transparent manner. He concealed abuse investigations, defended perpetrators publicly, and housed one accused priest in a Caritas facility after police raids. Fernández appointed another priest accused of rape to a high diocesan role and failed to respond meaningfully when new allegations emerged. Despite this record, Pope Francis appointed him Prefect of the Dicastery responsible for adjudicating abuse cases — prompting global outrage from survivors.

SNAP filed a complaint against Fernández under the pope’s 2023 decree Vos estis lux mundi on March 25, 2025

Vos estis lux mundi, Pope Francis’ 2023 decree, allows any bishop, cardinal, or religious superior to be reported and investigated for abuse or cover-up. These complaints, submitted to the Vatican, are not verdicts of guilt. They are evidence-based calls for investigation—each meeting the church’s own standard of “serious indications” that a violation occurred. In civil terms, this is equivalent to probable cause or reasonable grounds to investigate.

Every filing draws from a solid foundation of survivor and eyewitness testimony, public records and church statements, independent investigations by media and legal experts, official church documents and canonical proceedings, testimony, depositions, and court-ordered documents from criminal and civil cases.