Pope Francis Dissolves Influential Peruvian Catholic Group Amid Abuse Allegations
Pope Francis has ordered the dissolution of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a once-influential Catholic group based in Peru, following years of credible allegations of abuse, CNN reports.
The group, which once boasted 20,000 members across South America and parts of the United States, has been plagued by accusations of abuse, including those against its founder, for more than a decade.
While the Vatican has yet to issue an official statement, the Sodalitium confirmed the decision to dissolve in its own announcement, acknowledging the “central information” of an earlier report on the Spanish-language site Infovaticana, although claiming it contained unspecified “inaccuracies.”
The decision to suppress the Sodalitium is a rare action by the Pope and follows numerous attempts by the Church hierarchy to reform the group. A 2023 Vatican investigation uncovered “sadistic” abuses of power, authority, and spirituality within the organization. This investigation confirmed findings from a 2017 external investigation ordered by the Sodalitium, which implicated its founder, Luis Fernando Figari, in acts of sodomy against recruits, alongside accusations of severe financial mismanagement. Figari has consistently denied all allegations against him.
Following the Vatican probe conducted by Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, Figari was expelled from the order by the Pope in August 2024. A month later, the Pope expelled 10 more leading members. Among those expelled was one individual accused of carrying out “abuse in the exercise of the apostolate of journalism,” a highly unusual charge.
Founded in 1971 in Peru, the Sodalitium initially began as a lay group, a “Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right,” it rapidly grew to hold considerable influence. The group primarily targeted recruitment of young white boys from elite Catholic schools and upper and middle-class families with political or business connections.
The Sodalitium’s establishment was partly driven by political opposition to the rise of liberation theology in Latin America. This radical movement, which emerged in the 1960s, focused on the support and upliftment of the poor.
