Activists call on Pope to expel abusers ahead of Latin America tour

Ahead of his upcoming Latin America tour, Pope Leo XIV is facing calls from activists to expel sexual abusers from the Catholic Church. The 71-year-old pontiff will begin his trip to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru on Friday, his adopted homeland where he lived for nearly two decades as a missionary, parish priest, and bishop. In Lima on Thursday, activists gathered to demand justice for victims of the long-running scandal.

Bishop Accountability, a US-based nonprofit, presented a list of 77 clergy members accused of sexually abusing minors in Peru. The group's co-director, Anne Barrett Doyle, urged the Pope to implement a zero-tolerance policy for those guilty of abuse. She emphasized that the church should permanently remove not only the accused but also those who covered up the abuse.

Jose Escardo, president of the Survivors Network of Abuse in Peru, echoed Doyle's call for action. He stressed that these individuals must face both Church judgment and civil justice. Escardo himself is a survivor of a conservative group that Pope Francis dissolved in 2025 following a seven-year investigation. The list of accused abusers from Bishop Accountability includes high-ranking church officials, such as conservative cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani.