At a press conference in Rome last Tuesday, March 25, the
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), in
partnership with Nate’s Mission, delivered formal complaints
against six cardinals to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary
of State to the Holy See.
The complaints, lodged under
Pope Francis’s 2023 decree Vos estis lux mundi
charged each cardinal with covering up and mismanaging
clergy sexual assault and child abuse cases.
The six
cardinals are:
- Cardinal Péter
Erdő - Cardinal Kevin Farrell
- Cardinal
Víctor Manuel Fernández - Cardinal Mario
Grech - Cardinal Robert Francis
Prevost - Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
The
delivery of the complaints marks the first time multiple
high-ranking cardinals have been targeted under Vos estis
lux mundi by coordinated survivor-led action.
At
Tuesday’s press conference, survivors contended that Pope
Francis’s Vos estis lux mundi law was insufficient
to handle the misconduct of the most powerful members of the
Catholic hierarchy, because the complaints were against
cardinals whose dicasteries handle those
complaints.
“Vos estis lux mundi allows bishops who
have covered up abuse to investigate bishops who have
covered up abuse — it lacks enforcement, transparency, and
consequences for the powerful,” said Peter Isely, SNAP
Chair for Global Affairs. “If the next pope is serious
about ending clergy abuse, we must ensure he hasn’t
covered it up, and that he endorses a binding and universal
zero tolerance law.”
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At the conference, Shaun
Dougherty, US based SNAP President, said “survivors have
done the work that church leaders refuse to do. We’ve
compiled the evidence, followed the Vatican’s procedures,
and named the names. If Pope Francis is serious about his
zero tolerance” approach, he would appoint a truly
independent investigator and open the abuse archives to that
person – as he said he would in 2019.”
During the
conference, the survivor group also announced SNAP’s new
Conclave
Watch initiative, a global effort vetting potential
papal candidates based on their handling of clergy sexual
abuse and their support for the universal, legally binding
zero
tolerance law endorsed by SNAP.
“While sympathy
for Pope Francis in his declining health is understandable,
we cannot ignore the tragic reality: the cardinals he has
empowered include men who have covered up abuse,” Isely
said. “Now some of these same men are being considered as
candidates for the next pope.”
Survivors also made a
broader appeal to Pope Francis, against his issuing what
they described as a “misleading” papal exhortation on
children that fails to mandate binding protections against
their abuse under canon law.
The letter, drafted by
global survivors and delivered by Juan Carlos Cruz — a
survivor, papal advisor, and member of the Pontifical
Commission for the Protection of Minors — urged Pope
Francis to use his remaining time to implement a true
zero-tolerance law that includes independent oversight of
bishops.
SNAP and Nate’s Mission are calling on
Catholics and whistleblowers worldwide to share evidence of
misconduct by church officials. The group plans to soon
launch a webpage sharing information about the cardinal
electors’ abuse
coverup.
