The Peruvian Episcopal Conference reacted this Saturday to Pope Francis’ recent decision to dissolve the Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana (SVC) by regretting the abuses that occurred and recognizing failures in supporting those affected.
The declaration of the bishops on the Sodalicio case is part of the message to the Peruvian people on the occasion of their 128th Ordinary Assembly, a document in which they also address a series of challenges facing Peru, such as the increase in poverty, corruption, the weakening of democracy, citizen insecurity and social polarization.
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“We deeply regret that something so terrible has happened in the Church in Peru. We thank those who, with courage and perseverance, have made it possible for the abuses suffered to come to light and for us bishops to have become aware of them,” said the bishops of Peru about the recent dissolution of the Sodalitium.
The Peruvian Episcopate admitted failures in supporting the victims, expressing its regret “to those who have not felt properly accompanied by us because they did not know the efforts that we have been making before the Holy See from this Episcopal Conference for several years.”
Thanks to the Pope and commitment to collaboration
The bishops also expressed their gratitude to Pope Francis “for the sending of Mons. (Charles) Scicluna and Mons. (Jordi) Bertomeu, which has allowed him to make the final decision to dissolve the Sodalitium of Christian Life.”
They were thus referring to the investigation carried out by the Vatican in 2023, directed by Scicluna and Bertomeu, and that, as published by the Infovaticana portalrevealed the absence of a legitimate founding charisma and confirmed the seriousness of the accusations of abuse against the founder of the movement, Luis Fernando Figari, and other members of the leadership.
Figari was expelled from the SCV by Pope Francis in August 2024, after the Holy See had already sanctioned him in 2017 and prohibited him from having contact with any member of this society when the commission of sexual and power abuses was proven.
After confirming its dissolution in a statement this Monday, the Sodalicio reported on Tuesday that between May 2016 and December 2024 it compensated and repaired 83 people who were victims of sexual, psychological and power abuse, through extrajudicial agreements.
Likewise, the Peruvian bishops reiterated their “commitment to collaborate with the Holy See so that the provisions of the Pope are fulfilled.”
“While we remain attentive to the receipt of the documents that decree said dissolution and the measures related to it, we renew our commitment to collaborate with the Holy See so that the provisions of the Pope are fulfilled,” they added.
In the midst of this difficult situation, the Peruvian bishops called for hope, saying that it “does not eliminate suffering, but transforms it,” and recalled the words of Pope Francis during his visit to Peru in January 2018: “it is not let hope be stolen.”
The SCV was founded in Lima in 1971 and currently has a presence, in addition to Peru, in Italy, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Ecuador.
Juan Andrés Muñoz Fernández
Juan Andrés Muñoz Fernández is the editor in chief of ACI Prensa and Latin America editor for EWTN. He has a degree in Journalism from the University of Navarra, a master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a specialization in Media and Entertainment Management from IESE. Previously he worked for 25 years at CNN, where he was digital director of CNN en Español. His academic training and media experience position him as an authority in digital Catholic journalism.