VATICAN CITY (AP) — A coalition of clergy sexual abuse survivors called on Wednesday for the cardinals preparing for the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis to select a pope who will implement a universal zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse. The survivors demanded that the next pope have a clean record regarding the handling of abuse cases.
The group, End Clergy Abuse, released an open letter directed at the cardinals who are meeting informally ahead of the conclave scheduled for May 7. Additionally, SNAP, the primary U.S.-based organization for survivors, published a new database highlighting cardinals with questionable records, indicating a heightened scrutiny of potential papal candidates.
This demand arises amid ongoing discussions regarding the significance of the abuse scandal within the church's current deliberations on selecting a new pope. Although two decades have passed since the emergence of numerous abuse cases and cover-ups that significantly tarnished the reputation of the Catholic hierarchy, many church leaders appear eager to move past these issues, according to the survivors.
In their open letter, the survivors emphasized, "The sexual abuse crisis is not a matter of the past. It is present. And nowhere is its devastation more visible than in the Global South." They insist that the Catholic Church must adopt a zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest from ministry after a single act of sexual abuse is either admitted or established in accordance with church law. While such a policy has been implemented in the U.S. church since 2002, it has yet to be universally accepted in other regions.
The situation is currently unfolding in Rome, where Peruvian Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, 81, has been seen entering and exiting Vatican City despite being under Vatican sanctions due to allegations of minor abuse. Although Cardinal Cipriani is too old to participate in the conclave itself, he has been active in the pre-conclave meetings this week.
In January, the Vatican confirmed that disciplinary sanctions against Cipriani were in effect, which involved a requirement for him to leave Peru and imposed restrictions on his public activities and the use of insignia. The Vatican stated that he is occasionally allowed to deviate from these restrictions.
When questioned about Cipriani's participation in conclave activities, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni explained that Vatican regulations mandate all cardinals to attend the pre-conclave meetings unless they have "legitimate impediments," which refer to personal or physical issues. Cardinal Cipriani, residing in both Madrid and Rome, has vehemently denied the allegations, describing them as "completely false."
Bruni confirmed that discussions about abuse were part of the pre-conclave agenda, as the cardinals addressed various challenges the church is facing.
Earlier this year, SNAP launched an online initiative titled "Conclave Watch," aiming to provide transparency on individual cardinals and their histories concerning abuse cases. Since its inception, survivors from Fiji, Tonga, Belgium, France, South Africa, Malawi, Italy, Canada, and the U.S. have reached out with additional information, contributing to the initiative's goal of vetting potential papal candidates.
SNAP and ECA have stressed that survivorship communities do not wish to witness another conclave that results in the election of a pope who has previously shielded and covered up for clergy offenders, as stated by SNAP spokesperson Sarah Pearson.
