The Catholic Church's new power players: Americans
They hold key positions at the Holy See and are establishing think tanks, foundations and universities in Rome. In the wake of their compatriot Robert Prevost, who became Pope Leo XIV in 2025 and whose popularity continues to grow in the United States, American Catholics are throwing their full weight into shaping Catholicism.
The Catholic Church in Panama has reported 37 complaints of sexual abuse against minors and vulnerable individuals by priests between 2001 and 2025, according to a recently released investigation. The report, conducted by Spain's Villanueva University and the University of Notre Dame in the United States, aimed to assess how the church had managed this issue.
Archbishop Jose Domingo Ulloa of Panama City acknowledged the church's apology to victims and stated that five clergy members were defrocked following convictions for sexual abuse. Despite the absence of evidence for a deliberate policy of concealment of abuse in Panama, the report highlighted problems in handling complaints, which may not fully represent the extent of the abuse due to victims' reluctance to come forward.
Maria Jose Valero, one of the authors, pointed out that while Latin America is the world's most Catholic continent, it has the lowest rates of reporting clerical sexual abuse.
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