Pope Francis has approved the expulsion of five members of the apostolic group Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana (SVC) for sexual abuse, some against minors, abuse of office and against the administration of ecclesiastical assets, as reported by the Peruvian Episcopal Conference (CEP) this Wednesday.
The CEP detailed in a statement that the Pope made this decision after evaluating the defenses corresponding to the complaints that emerged during the special mission entrusted to Charles J. Scicluna, archbishop of Malta and assistant secretary of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and to the official of said Dicastery, Jordi Bartomeu, between July and August of last year.
Of the five expelled, two were announced this Wednesday, the former spirituality assistant, Jaime Manuel Baertl, and the former temporalities assistant, Juan Carlos Len. “To adopt such a decision, the seriousness of the sexual abuse committed by one of the accused has been considered, as well as the personal responsibility of these two consecrated persons in numerous irregularities and illicit acts committed by companies linked to the Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana,” the statement reads.
The statement also points out that some economic efforts and investments promoted by Baertl and Len within the Sodalitium, “opportunely detected” by the special mission with the help of the economic organizations of the Holy See, “constitute sinful actions that betray the Gospel.” These are “intolerable canonical crimes” that, beyond the scandal that has arisen at the international level, disfigure the evangelizing mission of the Church and severely undermine its credibility, also endangering the healthy cooperation that regulates relations between the Church and the Peruvian State.
By announcing “strong measures” against the Sodalitium, it could be implied that the Vatican is willing to approve the dissolution of the Sodalitium, according to Digital Religion.
The other three expelled people announced this Monday are the former assistant for temporalities, communications and apostolate and former vicar general, José Andrés Ambrozic, Ricardo Adolfo Trenemann and the Reverend Luis Antonio Ferroggiaro.
The CEP detailed that these are cases of sexual abuse, in some cases even involving minors, also abuse of position and authority, particularly in the form of abuse in the administration of ecclesiastical property.
A month ago, the Pope approved the expulsion of 10 members of the Sodalicio, among whom are his former superior general Eduardo Regal and the archbishop emeritus of Piura, José Antonio Eguren, for physical abuse with sadism, abuse of authority and against the administration of ecclesiastical property.
These measures were taken after the expulsion of the founder of this apostolic society, Luis Figari, on August 14, due to complaints of sexual abuse filed against him and other directors of the Sodalicio, which were documented in the book ‘Half monks, half soldiers’ by journalists Pedro Salinas and Paola Ugaz in 2015.
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